Jamie Oliver's Christmas soup is brimming with flavour - with an unusual twist

21 December 2023 , 18:00

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The soup costs £1.67 per portion if you don't have any of the ingredients leftover from Christmas (Image: Jamie Oliver)

Christmas soup is always a good idea, especially if you're looking for a lighter way to indulge over the festive period.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has created a mouthwatering spicy Christmas soup which is great for using up any leftovers (if that's even a thing in your household). The recipe, which works great as a starter or Boxing Day main course, comes out at £1.67 per portion if you don't have any of these ingredients already lying around.

The chef's soup is a Christmas twist on the South Indian classic, Mulligatawny. The dish, which literally translates to 'pepper-water' usually features chicken mutton and lentils. However, Jamie Oliver's version uses up that leftover Turkey that usually end up in the bin.

It also features an unusual ingredient for Christmas fare: curry paste. Dried chilli and ginger also help the soup give it a fiery kick, which is sure to wake you from any festive hangovers.

Jamie Oliver's Christmas Mulligatawny soup

Jamie Oliver's Mulligatawny soup has a nice kick to it (Channel 4)

Ingredients (serves 6)

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• Leftover Turkey (500g)
• Butternut squash (300g)
• Chopped tomatoes (400g)
• Basmati rice (300g)
• Hot organic chicken or giblet stock (750ml)
• 1 large onion
• 1 carrot
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1 dried red chikli
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp curry paste
• A few fresh sprigs of coriander

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The chef's Christmas soup works great as a starter or main course (Channel 4)

Method

• Peel and slice the onion and garlic, cut the carrot and cube the squash into 5mm chunks. Then, peel and finely grate the ginger.
• In a large saucepan heat the oil over a medium heat before adding in the onion, garlic, carrot, ginger and dried chilli. Put the lid on and cook until the veg is soft and lightly golden - making sure to stir occasionally.
• Add the butternut squash cubes along with the tomato puree and curry paste. Then, shred in the turkey and stir until everything is well coated. Put in the chopped tomatoes (tinned is fine) and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
• Pour in the stock and bring everything to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes then add the rice and cook for a further 10 minutes until the grains are cooked. Again, season to taste and use your fresh coriander for garnish.

And there we have it! An alternative way to using up your Christmas leftovers that won't leave you feeling stodgy.

What's your favourite Christmas soup? Let us know in the comments section below

Liam Gilliver