Mullagatawny Soup

Modern cookery for private families · Acton, Eliza · 1845
Source
Modern cookery for private families
Status
success · extracted 5 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (22)
Soup Base
Optional Garnish/Flavoring
Alternative Richer Soup Ingredients
Obs. 1: Thickening Substitute
Obs. 2: Plain Dinner Meat Substitute
Obs. 3: Elegant Table Preparation
Instructions (30)
  1. Slice and gently fry three or four large onions in some good butter until they are of a fine equal amber-colour.
  2. Lift the fried onions out with a slice and put them into a deep stewpot or large thick saucepan.
  3. Add a little more butter to the pan and lightly brown in it a young rabbit, or the prime joints of two, or a fowl cut down small and floured.
  4. When the meat is sufficiently browned, lay it upon the onions.
  5. Gradually pour a quart of good boiling stock to them.
  6. Stew gently from three quarters of an hour to an hour.
  7. Take out the meat.
  8. Pass the stock and onions through a fine sieve or strainer.
  9. Add two pints and a half more of stock to the strained liquid.
  10. Pour the whole into a clean pan.
  11. When it boils, stir in two tablespoonsful of currie-powder mixed with nearly as much browned flour and a little cold water or broth.
  12. Put in the meat.
  13. Simmer it for twenty minutes or longer, should it not be perfectly tender.
  14. Add the juice of a small lemon just before it is dished.
  15. Serve very hot, and send boiled rice to table with it.
Optional Garnish/Flavoring
  1. Part of a pickled mango, cut into strips about the size of large straws, can be served in this soup after being stewed in it for a few minutes.
  2. A little of the pickle itself should be added with the mango.
Alternative Richer Soup Method
  1. Fry the onions slowly and with care, ensuring no part is overdone.
  2. Stew the fried onions for an hour in the first quart of stock with three or four ounces of grated cocoa-nut.
  3. After all that can be rubbed through the sieve has been added to as much more stock as will be required for the soup, and the currie-powder and thickening have been boiled in it for twenty minutes, add the flesh of part of a calf’s head (previously stewed almost tender and cut as for mock turtle) and a sweetbread (also parboiled or stewed in broth and divided into inch-squares).
  4. Simmer these additions in the stock until they have taken the flavour of the currie-seasoning.
  5. Alternatively, the flesh of a couple of calves’ feet with a sweetbread or two can be substituted for the calf's head and sweetbread.
  6. A large cupful of thick cream, first mixed and boiled with a teaspoonful of flour or arrow-root to prevent its curdling, can be stirred into the soup before the lemon-juice to enrich and improve it.
  7. Add chili vinegar or lemon-juice just before serving.
Obs. 1: Thickening Substitute
  1. The brain of the calf’s head stewed for twenty minutes in a little of the stock, then rubbed through a sieve, and diluted gradually with more of the stock, can be added as thickening.
Obs. 2: Plain Dinner Meat Substitute
  1. Three or four pounds of a breast of veal, or an equal weight of mutton, free from bone and fat, can replace rabbits or fowls.
  2. The veal should be cut into squares of an inch and a half, or into strips of an inch in width and two in length.
  3. The mutton should be trimmed down in the same way, or into very small cutlets.
Obs. 3: Elegant Table Preparation
  1. For an elegant table, the joints of rabbit or of fowl should always be boned before being added to the soup.
  2. In this case, a couple of each will be needed for a single tureen, as all the inferior joints must be rejected.
Original Text
MULLAGATAWNY SOUP. Slice, and fry gently in some good butter three or four large onions, and when they are of a fine equal amber-colour lift them out with a slice and put them into a deep stewpot, or large thick saucepan; throw a little more butter into the pan, and then brown lightly in it a young rabbit, or the prime joints of two, or a fowl cut down small, and floured. When the meat is sufficiently browned, lay it upon the onions, pour gradually to them a quart of good boiling stock, and stew it gently from three quarters of an hour to an hour; then take it out, and pass the stock and onions through a fine sieve or strainer. Add to them two pints and a half more of stock, pour the whole into a clean pan, and when it boils stir to it two tablespoonsful of currie-powder mixed with nearly as much of browned flour, and a little cold water or broth, put in the meat, and simmer it for twenty minutes or longer should it not be perfectly tender, add the juice of a small lemon just before it is dished, serve it very hot, and send boiled rice to table with it. Part of a pickled mango cut into strips about the size of large straws, is sometimes served in this soup, after being stewed in it for a few minutes; a little of the pickle itself should be added with it. We have given here the sort of receipt commonly used in England for mullagatawny, but a much finer soup may be made by departing from it in some respects. The onions, of which the proportion may be increased or diminished to the taste, after being fried slowly and with care, that no part should be overdone, may be stewed for an hour in the first quart of stock with three or four ounces of grated cocoa-nut,[36] which will impart a rich mellow flavour to the whole. After all of this that can be rubbed through the sieve has been added to as much more stock as will be required for the soup, and the currie-powder and thickening have been boiled in it for twenty minutes, 36the flesh of part of a calf’s head,[37] previously stewed almost tender, and cut as for mock turtle, with a sweetbread also parboiled or stewed in broth, and divided into inch-squares, will make an admirable mullagatawny, if simmered in the stock until they have taken the flavour of the currie-seasoning. The flesh of a couple of calves’ feet, with a sweetbread or two, may, when more convenient, be substituted for the head. A large cupful of thick cream, first mixed and boiled with a teaspoonful of flour or arrow-root to prevent its curdling, and stirred into the soup before the lemon-juice, will enrich and improve it much. 36.  That our readers to whom this ingredient in soups is new, may not be misled, we must repeat here, that although the cocoa-nut when it is young and fresh imparts a peculiarly rich flavour to any preparation, it is not liked by all eaters, and is better omitted when the taste of a party is not known, and only one soup is served. 37.  The scalp or skin only of a calf’s head will make excellent mullagatawny, with good broth for stock; and many kinds of shell-fish also. Rabbit, 1, or the best joints of, 2, or fowl, 1; large onions, 4 to 6; stock, 1 quart: 3/4 to 1 hour. 2-1/2 pints more of stock; currie-powder, 2 heaped tablespoonsful, with 2 of browned flour; meat and all simmered together 20 minutes or more; juice of lemon, 1 small; or part of pickled mango stewed in the soup 3 to 4 minutes. Or,—onions, 3 to 6; cocoa-nut, 3 to 4 oz.; stock, 1 quart; stewed 1 hour. Stock, 3 pints (in addition to the first quart); currie-powder and thickening each, 2 large tablespoonsful: 20 minutes. Flesh of part of calf s head and sweetbread, 15 minutes or more. Thick cream, 1 cupful; flour or arrow-root, 1 teaspoonful; boiled 2 minutes, and stirred to the soup. Chili vinegar, 1 tablespoonful, or lemon-juice, 2 tablespoonsful. Obs. 1.—The brain of the calf’s head stewed for twenty minutes in a little of the stock, then rubbed through a sieve, diluted gradually with more of the stock, and added as thickening to the soup, will be found an admirable substitute for part of the flour. Obs. 2.—Three or four pounds of a breast of veal, or an equal weight of mutton, free from bone and fat, may take the place of rabbits or fowls in this soup, for a plain dinner. The veal should be cut into squares of an inch and a half, or into strips of an inch in width, and two in length; and the mutton should be trimmed down in the same way, or into very small cutlets. Obs. 3.—For an elegant table, the joints of rabbit or of fowl should always be boned before they are added to the soup, for which, in this case, a couple of each will be needed for a single tureen, as all the inferior joints must be rejected.
Notes
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