The Indian cuisine was influenced by the English in many ways and though things like lamb chops were still grilled, after the English arrival in India, they were marinated in spices and chillies* first and became spectacular.  Whilst tea had been growing in India long before the English arrived (in fact it originated in China), the people of India used it as a herb but it was English that developed the drink known and loved in India today - chai, which is made by brewing the tender young leaves of the Darjeeling tea plants from the Assam region with milk and spices is drunk all over India. Today the habit of afternoon tea

has become a customary practice in many of the more privileged homes in India today – only now tea is served with samoosas or pistay-ki-lauz (pistachio sweets) and occasionally even small lemon curd tarts and cucumber sandwiches! Dining room tables replaced floors, plates and dishes replaced the traditional banana leaves and knives and forks replaced the hands** and even though many lament the loss of the old ways, many more have adopted them. Mulligatawny soup is something famous the world over and is common in many Indian restaurants even though, traditionally, the Indian people didn’t eat soup! The name comes from the Tamil words mulagu tunni (pepper water) and is a soup, recipe below

Ingredients

• 125g lamb fillet, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 125 ml coconut milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 potato, diced
• 50g basmati rice
• 6 – 8  curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 3 – 4 fresh garlic cloves
• ½ stick cinnamon
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½  tsp fennel seeds
• ½  tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorn
• 2 tbsp mild garam masala
• 1,2 litres homemade vegetable stock
• small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Dry toast the dry spices in a pan until they zizzle – no longer than a second or two and then grind them finely.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and stir fry until translucent and then the spices,  the carrots, the potatoes, the rice and the lamb and stir fry everything for a few minutes.
• Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• Pulse this with a hand blender in the soup a couple of times to purée it slightly, then stir in the coconut milk and the fresh chopped coriander.
• Check and correct the seasoning and the ladle the soup into warm bowls and garnish with a few coriander leaves.

* Chillies were there thanks to the Portuguese

** There are those that still insist that eating with knives and forks is like making love through a third party.