Mulligatawny is a colonial dish invented by the Indian cooks/servants during the British Raj of India. As the story goes the English colonist, who were used to having soup, asked for soup be made as a starter for their meals.
Heat ghee or oil in a large sauce pan Add the onion, carrots, celery, leeks and ginger and a pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft but not browned.
Add the garlic, curry powder, salt and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute to cook out the rawness.
Add the chicken pieces to the mixture to coat well with all the spices. Add the cooked lentils and stir to mix well.
Pour the stock into the pan, cover and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Lift the chicken out to a plate to cool. Once the chicken is cooled enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks. Stir back into the soup.
Peel, core and finely chop 1/2 the apple; add to the broth along with the cooked rice, milk if using and bring back to the boil. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. You may need to add more broth or water to thin the consistency.
Adjust the seasoning to taste and discard the bay leaves.
Apple Relish
Core and finely shred the other half of the apple with the skin and mix with 2 tbsp lemon juice, green chillies for heat(optional) chopped cilantro and spring onion.
Serve the mulligatawny topped with a spoonful of the Apple relish you just made or store-bought Mango pickle(Achaar) if you have, (this is optional).
