Mulligatawny-ish Chowder (Indian Curry Comfort) for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Sometimes I have a plan for a specific soup and sometimes that plan veers off into a somewhat different direction. I came across this recipe for a "Warming Breakfast Soup" by Elise Swartwood via MindBodyGreen.com and liked the sound of it. I enjoy savory soups--usually miso or sometimes dal for breakfast and I love Mulligatawny soup with its curry spices. I ended up changing so much of the recipe, it is quite different from the style of the original and I think it is more like a chunky Mulligatawny Chowder. Not that I am complaining--it is delicious.

I wanted to make a big pot of soup to nosh on all week so I increased the amount of veggies and wanting something more substantial, I added red potatoes to the mix. When I realized I only had about 1 1/4 cups dried red lentils in my pantry, I tossed in a can of chickpeas for extra fiber and increased the amount of curry. Between the coconut milk, potatoes and lentils, the soup was nicely thickened and chowder-like. You can see my changes to the recipe in red below.

Mulligatawny-ish Chowder
Adapted from Mulligatawny Soup, MindBodyGreen.com
(Serves 6)

1 tsp coconut oil (1 Tbsp)
1 yellow onion (2 large leeks, chopped)
2 celery stalks (3 celery stalks, chopped)
2 medium carrots, chopped
4 garlic cloves (6 cloves, minced)
2 to 3 centimeters fresh ginger (1 Tbsp grated and peeled ginger)
1/2 cup red lentils (1 cup red lentils)
(4 medium red potatoes, chopped)
3 cups water or broth (6 cups good vegetable broth)
1 Tbsp curry powder (or more if you love the spice) (3 Tbsp good curry powder)
1 tsp cinnamon (2 tsp cinnamon)
1 tsp cumin (3 tsp ground cumin)
1/2 cup coconut milk (1 can light coconut milk)
(1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed)
sea salt and black pepper to taste
fresh chopped cilantro to garnish (+ chopped celery leaves)
fresh lime juice, optional

Add coconut oil to large soup pot and sauté leeks, garlic, ginger, celery, and carrots about 10 minutes, until until fragrant and softened. 

Add lentils, red potatoes and broth to pot, bring to a boil and simmer and until lentils and potatoes are soft, about 20-25 minutes. Add more water if needed.
 
Reduce heat to low, and add spices, and chickpeas, along with the coconut milk. Let soup simmer on low for about 10 to 20 minutes so all the flavors blend. Taste and check for seasoning.
Add a squeeze of lime juice if desired and garnish with chopped cilantro and celery leaves.

Notes/Results: This was perfect for me, just a big bowl of flavorful Indian curry in a soup--filling, warming and so good. I like lots of curry flavor, but you could of course adjust the amount you use to suit your tastes. I tend to use a mild curry so it isn't spicy, but if you want extra spice, you can drizzle in some sambal or chili oil. The original recipe was more of a blended soup to sip warm, instead of a cold smoothie for breakfast, but I really enjoyed the chunky, thick chowder-style and the way the lentils melt into the soup to thicken it. I would definitely make this again. 

We have good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some delicious dishes last week--let's have a look!

Joyce of Kitchen Flavours made Ribolitta and said, "I've made Heidi Swanson's, Ribolitta, a thick Tuscan vegetable stew, in line with my foodgoals for the year, more healthy grains, beans and vegetables, and less of meat. I find that this is quite delicious. The recipe makes quite a lot, so I've made only about a third of the recipe. This stew freezes well. I thawed the frozen leftover, reheat over low heat with a few tablespoons of warm water, and it was just as good."

Simona of Briciole shares Cabbage, Roasted Salmon and Persimmon Salad and said, "During winter months, usually soup is on the table more often than salad. This year, however, I am having an intense relationship with raw cabbage. It's not that I discovered it, but I've been reminded how much I like a salad of finely shredded cabbage, and how much I enjoy playing with it, adding various ingredients and tasting the results. ... Tahini sauce offsets persimmon's sweetness and brings together the rich, oily salmon with the crisp, fresh-tasting cabbage."

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor made Fall River Vegetable Soup and said, "So...comfort food.  I made a vat of soup for lunches during the week.  This is a recipe I had been wanting to prepare.  It had been languishing in my file of recipes to try. Here is the recipe I copied (via the iPhone) from the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant cookbook.  It gives a bit of background about the area which I found interesting.  I used a bit less wine than called for and it turned out well.'

Mahalo to everyone who joined in this week! 

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!