The spices in this mulligatawny, a rich Indian soup flavored with curry and garam masala, will help you wake up from your post-Thanksgiving funk. We substitute leftover turkey for the more traditional chicken and finish the soup with creamy coconut milk and cilantro.

Game plan: You’ll need to make the garam masala and turkey stock before you begin.

  • Yield: 6 to 8 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 30 mins Active: 20 mins 

Ingredients (17)

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
  • 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and medium dice
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and medium dice
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala (see Game Plan note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 5 cups turkey stock (see Game Plan note) or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups diced, cooked turkey
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice
  • 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk or light coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. When it foams, add onion, season with salt, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add apple, carrot, and garlic, stir to coat in butter, and season again with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté until apple is tender and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Sprinkle flour, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, and cloves over vegetables and stir until spices are fragrant and flour has cooked slightly, about 2 minutes.
  3. Slowly add stock or broth, stirring until flour has dissolved. Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
  4. Add turkey, rice, coconut milk, and lemon juice and return soup to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, if using, and season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Beverage pairing: Hecht & Bannier Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thau Syrah Rosé, France. Syrah and Indian spices typically go well together, but a deep, red wine would probably overwhelm the soup. The solution is a Syrah rosé, which still possesses some of the savory/sweet fruit of the grape, while delivering it in a rounder, mellower package.