Vegan Mulligatawny

Thick and hearty, this vegan mulligawny uses fennel and a variety of spices such as turmeric, coriander, and asafoetida.

The Story:
Ever since I discovered a great mulligatawny recipe at My New Roots, Philip and I have made it many times. We make it in the summer, fall, winter, and spring. It doesn’t matter what the season, this thick stew pleases any time of the year. We’ve always had to modify the recipe however as My New Roots’ Sarah Britton lives in a Foodie capital and here in our podunk part of the world, we can’t easily get certain things (like curry leaves). We also recently discovered Philip has a problem with onions. Bummer. He loves onions and onions are such a big part of so many recipes, we were at a loss. Then I read that Jains use the spice asafoetida as a onion substitute. In doing further research, I found a suggestion to replace onion with fennel bulb to add a similar body to dishes. Thus, we did the substitutions and our mulligatawny came out better than ever.

Asafoetida is a rare spice. We were lucky enough to travel down to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for our 19th wedding anniversary year and visit a farmers’ market that makes the claim its the oldest one in the country.

Inside, there was a spice and herb shop where we picked up a lot of things that weren’t easily available in our home town, including asafoetida.

If you can’t find asafoetida locally (or even regionally), you can order it online. Spices, Inc. is an herb and spice shop that caters specifically to online customers. You can find asafoetida here, as well as many other rare and unusual spices, herbs, and blends. It may seem expensive, but you don’t need much (only 1/2 teaspoon for a massive amount of mulligatawny, for instance.)

Gather your tools. You’ll need:

1. measuring cups 2. sharp knife 3. skillet 4. measuring spoons 5. vegetable peeler 6. large pot

Gather your ingredients. You’ll need:

1. red lentils 2. olive oil 3. fennel bulb 4. asafoetida 5. yellow mustard seeds 6. curry powder 7. turmeric 8. ground cayenne pepper 9. ground coriander 10. salt 11. fresh ginger 12. garlic 13. red bell pepper 14. turnips 15. carrots 16. parsnips 17. chickpeas 18. diced tomatoes 19. canned coconut milk 20. vegetable broth

Vegan Mulligatawny
adapted from My New Roots

Ingredients:
1 cup dried red lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated into 2 1-tablespoon portions
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
6 cups of diced carrots, parsnips, and turnips
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can of coconut milk
2 cups of vegetable broth

Directions:
Rinse and sort red lentils. Then, put them in a pot or bowl and cover with water to soak.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add in fennel bulb and asafoetida and saute until fennel begins to brown. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, pour remaining olive oil (1 tablespoon) and saute spices (mustard seeds through coriander) and minced ginger. Saute for 3-5 minutes (until spices become strongly aromatic.) Add in garlic and stir for 2 more minutes.

Add in bell pepper, carrots, parsnips, and turnips and cook for 5 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, drain and rinse soaked red lentils and add to pot.

Cook altogether for 30 minutes.