Mulligatawny Soup — The Bowl I Made for Nobody but Myself

The Houston Press article dropped on Wednesday. Online first, print on Friday. The headline: "From Shrimp Boats to Smokers: How Bobby Tran's Fish Sauce Brisket Became Houston's Best." I read it at 6 AM with my Vietnamese coffee, sitting on the back porch. Sarah told the whole story. The refugee parents. The shrimp boats. The drinking. The sobriety. Mr. Clarence. The fusion rub. The competitions. The pop-up. She quoted me: "If a half-Vietnamese shrimp boat dropout can make a twelve-hour brisket, you can make dinner. Stop making excuses." The article went semi-viral in Houston food circles. My phone buzzed for three days. People I hadn't talked to in years texted. Hector called and said, "Bobby, the pop-up is going to sell out." Thuy called and said, "I told you the food was good." My AA sponsor Bill called and said, "I read it. The part about the kitchen floor. You said it better than I've ever heard anyone say it." Ma called. She said, "Linh read me the article. You told them about the boat?" I said, "I told them everything." She was quiet. Then she said, "Good. People should know." Mai Tran, who has spent fifty years not talking about the boat, just gave her son permission to tell the world. Because the world should know what she survived. Because the story deserves to be told. The pop-up reservation link went live on Thursday. Hector set it up — a simple website, a booking page, $15 per plate, maximum 200 covers. It sold out in four hours. Two hundred people. August 17th. Four hours. I'm selling two hundred plates of food to strangers. Strangers who read an article about my life and decided: I want to eat this man's brisket. I want to taste the fish sauce. I want to be part of the story. The terror is real. The excitement is bigger. Made pho this week. Not for anyone. For me. The six-hour version, the one Ma calls "fine for people who don't have standards." I sat at my kitchen table and ate it and thought: in three weeks, two hundred people will eat my food. Will it be good enough? Will I be good enough? The pho was good. I am good. The fire keeps burning.

The pho I made this week was six hours of bone broth and silence — but I know not everyone has that kind of time or that kind of pantry, and honestly, sometimes you just need something warm and deep and a little complicated to match how you’re feeling inside. Mulligatawny is that bowl for me when I can’t do a full pho pull: it’s got the spice, the richness, the thing that makes you sit down and actually taste what’s in front of you. After three days of my phone buzzing, Ma’s voice on the line, and two hundred reservations dropping in four hours — I needed a recipe that asked me to be present, not performing. This is it.

Mulligatawny Soup

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded or diced
• 1/2 cup cooked white rice
• 1/2 cup coconut milk or heavy cream
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Build the spice base. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and lightly toasted into the vegetables.
3. Add flour and apple. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir well to coat. Add the diced apple and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to combine.
4. Add broth and simmer. Pour in the chicken broth gradually, stirring to prevent lumps. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until vegetables and apple are very tender.
5. Add chicken and rice. Stir in the shredded chicken and cooked rice. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes to heat through and allow the flavors to meld.
6. Finish with cream. Stir in the coconut milk or heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Do not boil after adding the cream.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley. Squeeze a lemon wedge over the top before eating — it brightens everything.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 720mg