Warming & Nutritious Mulligatawny Soup

I don't know about you but whenever I am feeling like I need some extra nourishment from my food, I always gravitate towards curry. I first tasted this soup several years ago while cooking for a non-profit society called Callanish. I fell in love with this recipe and have modified it slightly depending on what is in my fridge at the time! I must admit that this is typical of how I cook - something that drives my husband a bit mad from time to time! I reassure him that it keeps life interesting...

So here's the recipe; I have included my adaptations marked by an asterick, along with the original recipe:

Mulligatawny Soup (adapted from Grains of Wisdom The CALLANISH COOKBOOK)

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2-3 cups of fresh washed spinach leaves*
2 cups of chopped Chinese cabbage*
1-2 small organic apples, diced
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice*
1 tsp. honey*
​1 bay leaf*
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice or 1 cup of cooked brown rice
2 boneless, raw chicken breasts chopped in bite size chunks, or 1 cup cooked, diced chicken
6 cups of chicken or turkey broth
2 Tbsp tomato paste* or 1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped
1-2 tsp. curry powder (depends on how spicy you like it)
1/2 tsp. turmeric*
salt and pepper to taste
couple splashes of worchestershire sauce*

In a deep saucepan saute onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage and apples in the olive oil. Cook slowly until lightly browned. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric and cook 2 minutes on low heat. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes (canned or paste), salt and pepper, bay leaf, raw rice and simmer until the vegetables and rice are tender - about 45 - 60 minutes is ideal.

After the above is done, then I add the raw chicken breasts, worchestershire sauce, lemon juice and honey. Continue simmering for at least another 30 minutes so that the chicken cooks and the flavours meld. About 5-8 minutes before serving, I tossed in the 2-3 cups of fresh spinach so that the spinach wilts but doesn't lose its lovely green color. Season to taste and serve!