Cafeteria recipe for ‘curry soup’ offers an unmatched flavor
I’ve been a fan of the spicy blended flavor of curry powder for decades.
It’s not a spice my mother or grandmother cooked with in our farm kitchen when I was growing up.
One of my first encounters with this distinct spice blend so favored in India through the centuries was during an overseas trip to Germany in May 2001 with my sportswriter pal Jim Rusnak as my guide around the city of Munich.
Vendors in the streets, and especially in the biergartens, sold “currywurst” as a popular “fast food” equivalent of our U.S. hamburgers and hotdogs. Currywurst is composed of bratwurst sausages steamed and then fried, cut into slices and covered in a sauce of mayonnaise mixed with tomato paste and topped generously with curry powder for a delicious result.
Dating back more than 4,000 years, curry powder is a blend of ginger, garlic and turmeric. After Britain colonized India, curry powder became popular in England, and it first appeared as an ingredient in the recipes of British cookbooks starting in the mid-1800s.
A few weeks ago, between teaching classes, I grabbed a quick lunch at the cafeteria on the Purdue University Northwest campus in Westville. The soup featured was something I had never heard of before, but the inviting aroma of curry and the bright yellow hue of the broth led me to investigate.
Mulligatawny is an ages-old soup popular in England, but with recipe roots originating in the kitchens of South India. The name of this soup, which I was so surprised to discover being served on a college campus, derives from Indian Tamil words that literally means “pepper water.”
But anyone wary of spicy foods (as I am), fear not, since this soup is delicately scrumptious and unique.
I discovered that the idea to add mulligatawny to the cafeteria soup rotation was the suggestion of the young and creative campus cafeteria executive chef, Max Gulab, who hails from Wanatah, which is just 15 minutes from our family farm.
The name of the
Purdue University Northwest Westville campus cafeteria is Chartwells, which uses the motto: “Where hungry minds gather.”
“Chartwells Higher Education is a franchise brand name as part of a vast food service company that is on hundreds of college campuses across the US and growing,” chef Max told me.
“I’ve been with Purdue location for three years.”
Based in New York, the Chartwells company mission reads: “We are re-inventing the on-campus dining experience. We are challenging the norm and setting new standards by investing in high-tech, food-infused social spaces that bring people together to promote meaningful relationships and interactions.
“We are food-forward difference makers, bound together by a desire to feed hungry minds and prepare students for the future.”
Chef Max said he was met with some hesitation from others about his idea to include mulligatawny soup on the campus menu.
“This is a delicious soup that is perfect on rainy or cold wintry days,” he said.
“Mulligatawny is a classic. Our mulligatawny has a coconut milk and chicken broth base infused with fresh apples, aromatic root vegetables, herbs and warm Indian spices.”
Described as “sunshine in a bowl,” this soup can include chicken or can be served meatless as a vegetarian menu staple or favorite Lenten meal option for “meatless days of fasting.”
The strange addition of diced up chunks of apple, which float to the top and are often mistaken for potatoes, is key to the soup’s “chemistry” to strike an ideal flavor balance and cut any extreme acidity from the spices.
“You can liven up your soup with the addition of your favorite hot sauce to bring a little bit of heat to creamy, aromatic mulli- gatawny soup,” chef Max said.
“There is also a more English version of mulligatawny that is enjoyed with the inclusion of green lentils, while the classic Indian version includes more spices and, years ago, would usually include rice.
“Recipes for this soup have varied greatly over the past centuries and there is no one true version as referenced by food scholars. While in the kitchen creating this soup, it is important to have fun and always remember: ‘A recipe has no soul. It is the cook’s responsibility to bring the soul to the recipe.’ ”
Though chef Max makes his soups by the gallons to serve hungry lunchtime student crowds and faculty, he has provided me with what he describes as “a readerfriendly enough version just for you Phil, of the same soup you enjoyed so much.”
Columnist Philip Potempa has published three cookbooks and is the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center. He can be reached at pmpotempa@comhs.org or mail your questions: From the Farm, P.O. Box
68, San Pierre, IN 46374.