Curried Chicken Soup--Winter Comfort Food

As per request:
(sorry the ends of the lines are not correct in the printing)
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
1 small turnip, cut into small dice
(I use a large yam and cut it into not
so small pieces)
2 carrots, sliced
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 cups chicken stock
juice of 1/2 lemon
6 oz/175 g cold cooked chicken cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra to garnish
( I never put this in because I don't like cilantro and never have any)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cooked rice, to serve


Note from me:  this is soup, so you really can alter it how you
like. Mostly I leave out the lemon juice because I have no lemons. I use yam
instead of turnip because of availability. The butter and the onions to start
with, I do consider essential for most soups.


Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onions, and sauté
gently, until soft but not brown.

Add the turnip, (yam), carrots, and apple and continue to cook for an
additional 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the curry powder until the vegetables are well coated, then pour in
the stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Season well
with salt and pepper to taste and add the lemon juice.

Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and
return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Add the chicken and cilantro to the saucepan
and heat through.
Place a spoonful of rice in each serving bowl and pour the soup over the
top. Garnish with cilantro and serve.