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More Mulligatawny

Chicken pieces rubbed with spice mix
The first time I made mulligatawny was back in May 2011. On that occasion I used The Soup Book, of course. Yesterday I used another book that has been idling away, not earning its right to be on my kitchen bookshelves: The Essential Asian Cookbook (edited by Jane Bowring and Jane Price).  The ingredients include chicken pieces, flour, Madras curry powder, ground turmeric, ground ginger (I used fresh ginger on the last occasion), cloves, peppercorns, an apple(!), chicken stock, lemon juice and cream: not dissimilar to, but less extensive than the ingredients listed in The Soup Book recipe.

The spouse had bought a whole chicken, which I cut into pieces. These pieces were then rubbed with the mix of flour, turmeric, ginger and curry powder. I fried them in butter, threw the cloves and peppercorns into the pot (not wrapped in muslin. Where do I buy muslin, anyway?), poured in the stock, added the diced apple and left the lot simmering for an hour or so. Then I took the cooked chicken out of the pot, removed the meat from the bones and chopped it up. Having returned the meat to the pot, I poured in the cream (low-fat) and lemon juice.

I served up three portions and we sat down to eat. Just as we were supping away, the older offspring arrived. Up I stood and served him a portion. We all liked the soup. The spouse commented, quite truly, that you'd know it was curry powder rather than fresh spices. A cook again? Perhaps.

Bee Buzz

When looking for new stories about bees I came across this film by Marcus Imhoof - More than Honey. See also this review by Donald Clarke.

I'm reading I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. My sister-in-law recommended it to me. It's been a while since I read a novel where I really wanted to go on reading without interruptions, where I couldn't wait to find out what's going to happen next. The story is told from the perspective of Dominick Birdsey, who has tried to distance himself from his twin brother Thomas who is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. Dominick loves his brother and simultaneously resents having to defend him. His anger is tangible.

That said, he is incorrect to say that bees hover around Thomas on the occasion when he is found sobbing behind a skip at a fast-food outlet. He probably means wasps.

So, that's my duty done for now. I had hoped to make a clam soup this weekend as well as mulligatawny, but clams are available from the spouse's favourite fish monger's on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

Minnie
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