Pakistani Chicken Mulligatawny
Prep: 25 mins + overnight chilling. Cooking: 4 hrs. Serves 6.
Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, peeled
3/4 oz ghee
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
8 curry leaves
1/4 cup madras curry paste
1 cup red lentils, washed and drained
1/3 cup short-grain rice
1 cup coconut cream
2 tbs cilantro
Ingredients for stock:
3 lb 5 oz whole chicken
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3/4″ piece fresh ginger, sliced
To make stock: Put all ingredients and 16 cups cold water in a large stockpot or saucepan. Bring to a boil, removing scum that rises to surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, for 3 hours. Continue removing scum. Remove chicken and cool. Cover and chill overnight. Discard skin and bones of hicken and shred flesh into small pieces. Cover and chill overnight.
Score a cross in the base of tomatoes. Put in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 seconds then transfer to a bowl of cold water, peeling skin away from cross. Cut in half, remove seeds, and chop flesh.
Melt the ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes, or until softened but not browned. ADd garlic and curry leaves, cooking for an additional minute. Add curry paste, cook for another minute, then stir in lentils. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil over high heat, removing scum. Reduce heat, add tomato, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Meanwhile, bring a large sauce pan of water to boil and add rice, cooking for 12 minutes and stirring once or twice. Drain and stir rice into soup with chicken and coconut cream warmed through (don’t allow to boil or it will curdle.) Season and sprinkle with cilantro, serving with a mango chutney if so desired.