Chicken Mulligatawny Soup

In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, place celery, carrots, apple, onion, and garlic (see Tip). Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, the ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Pour broth and the water over all in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours.

In a resealable plastic bag, place chicken pieces, flour, and 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder; seal bag and shake to coat chicken with the flour mixture. Chill in refrigerator until needed.

In a large skillet, brown coated chicken in hot olive oil over medium heat, stirring often. Add three to four ladles of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker to the skillet; stir until thickened and gravylike, scraping bottom of skillet to incorporate flour and spices. Stir chicken mixture and rice into the slow cooker. Cover and cook 1 hour more on low-heat setting. Stir in coconut milk before serving. If desired, sprinkle with crushed red pepper.