Good Vegetable Mullagatawny

History

Black pepper and tamarind-based broths from the Coromandel Coast provided the foundational heat and acidity for this soup. In the Tamil region, these spicy liquids were used to invigorate the palate, often featuring a base of ginger, garlic, and local spices that would later be identified by Europeans as 'curry.'

This tradition merged with British culinary habits in the 18th century as East India Company officials in Madras (now Chennai) adapted local flavors to suit the European preference for thick, hearty soups. The name 'Mullagatawny' is an anglicization of the Tamil 'miḷagu-taṇṇīr,' meaning 'pepper-water.' Over time, the dish evolved from a thin, spicy broth into a creamy, thickened soup, incorporating ingredients like apples and marrow to balance the heat of the spices.

By the mid-19th century, the dish had become a staple of the Anglo-Indian repertoire, appearing in domestic manuals to bring a touch of the colonies to British dining rooms. Eliza Acton's 1845 work, Modern Cookery for Private Families, documents a vegetable-forward variation of this trend, emphasizing a refined texture achieved through sieving and the use of arrow-root for stability.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces butter
• 4 large mild onions
• 3 pounds young vegetable marrow
• 4 large or 6 cucumbers
• 3 to 6 large acid apples
• 3 heaped tablespoonsful mild currie powder
• salt
• 2 quarts boiling water, broth, or stock
• 1 small dessertspoonful arrow-root
• to taste cayenne

Instructions

1. In a large stewpan or thick iron saucepan, dissolve the butter over gentle heat until it is on the point of browning.
2. Add the sliced onions, diced vegetable marrow (skin and seeds removed), pared and seeded cucumbers, and acid apples.
3. Shake the pan often and stew these vegetables over a gentle fire until they are tolerably tender, about 20–30 minutes.
4. Strew the mild currie powder and salt lightly over the vegetables and mix well.
5. Stew for another 20–30 minutes.
6. Pour boiling water, broth, or stock gradually to just cover the vegetables.
7. Continue cooking until the vegetables are reduced almost to a pulp.
8. Press the entire mixture through a hair-sieve using a wooden spoon into a clean stewpan.
9. Add as much additional liquid as needed to make two quarts total.
10. Give any flavouring needed—salt, cayenne, or acid—to taste.
11. If any butter appears on the surface, carefully skim it off, or stir in a small dessertspoonful of arrow-root smoothly mixed with cold broth or water to absorb it.
12. Serve the soup extremely hot, with rice if desired.