Thomasina Miers’ recipe for mulligatawny soup with a difference

The classic Anglo-Asian soup with a twist, given added body and a hint of luxury with beef and noodles
Thomasina Miers’ mulligatawny with beef and noodles.
I have been slurping soup like crazy this year: thick ones with root veg, fast, simple broths or more drawn-out affairs with noodles or rice. We recently put chicken pozole, a popular Mexican soupy stew, on the menu. It’s stained brick-red by mild chillies and enlivened with lime and shredded raw veg, and it made me crave a version with Asian flavours.

Mulligatawny with beef and noodles
I rested on mulligatawny soup – not a classic one, because I’ve added noodles for body and a little beef for luxury, but I love it, and hope you will, too.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp basmati rice
2 tsp coriander seeds1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp turmeric
1 green chilli, finely chopped
200g tinned chopped tomatoes (half a can)
750ml beef stock
1 small cinnamon stick
400ml tin coconut milk
Juice of 2 limes
250g beef fillet, cut into fine slivers
200g flat rice noodles
1 large handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve

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Heat a large, deep casserole and, when hot, add the oil and turn down to a medium flame. Add the onion, celery and carrot, season generously, then sweat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft – about five minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a small dry frying pan, gently toast the rice and the coriander, fennel and cumin spice seeds for two to three minutes, until fragrant, then take off the heat. Once cool, mix with the peppercorns and grind to a fine powder (use a spice grinder or pestle and mortar). Stir into the onions et al, add the turmeric and chilli, and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock and cinnamon, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, so the flavours develop.

Tip in the coconut milk, bring up to heat, then squeeze in the lime juice and season the soup to taste.

When you’re ready to eat, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and transfer to soup bowls. Top with the strips of raw beef and pour on the hot soup. Scatter over the fresh coriander and get slurping.

And for the rest of the week…
If, like me, you always make too many noodles, worry not: they freeze beautifully. Or refrigerate the leftovers and use them to make a nutty salad later in the week – try adding beansprouts, shredded carrot, mouli or kohlrabi, plus masses of fresh coriander and mint, and dress in sesame oil, fresh lime juice, chopped chillies and fish sauce. Chillies are normally sold in packs, so blitz any extra and freeze them in small portions (they’ll defrost quickly). Or use them to make zhoug, an addictive Yemeni paste that enlivens a heap of different dishes.