Mulligatawny soup is a delicious, creamy soup balanced by subtle and flavorful spices, with origins in India. Whether it's a cold day or you just want something comforting and flavorful, this Mulligatawny Soup is sure to hit the spot.
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⭐ Origins of Mulligatawny Soup
As with many aspects of colonization of India, this Mulligatawny Soup represents a unique blend of Indian and British cultures and flavors. Mulligatawny is derived from "Milagu Thanneer", which in my native language of Tamil, means "Pepper Water".
The story goes that British soldiers in India would demand a soup at the start of every meal, and the Tamil cooks serving them, watered down the local pepper water stew. Over time, mutton, chicken stock and more Western ingredients got added, and here we are today!
💭 Why you'll love this recipe
This soup is an absolutely delicious and nourishing dish that packs a punch of Indian spices, vegetables, and other ingredients. Make sure to check out my Instant Pot Mulligatawny soup if you're looking for a pressure-cooker version.
- Perfect combination of flavors. This traditional Indian-inspired soup combines savory broth with aromatic spices, vegetables and apples for the perfect combination of savory and sweet, and soft and creamy.
- Vegan and gluten-free as written. Traditional Mulligatawny soup will use chicken broth and mutton, but this version is vegan, and swaps heavy cream for coconut milk, so it's also dairy free.
- Versatile and customizable. You can enjoy it as a meal in itself, a starter, or even as a side dish. Plus, you can customize the recipe to make it spicier, creamier, or whatever your heart desires.
- Healthy and nutritious. The Mulligatawny soup is packed with protein and fiber, thanks to lentils, which makes it a great source of nutrition. Plus, the soup is low in fat and sodium, so you don't have to worry about overindulging!
- Super easy to make, including large batches. The Mulligatawny Soup is a breeze to put together. All you need are a few basic ingredients and less than an hour of your time. It's also great to make ahead so it's a perfect weeknight meal when you don't have the energy to make anything elaborate!
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make this stovetop Mulligatawny soup, you will need vegetable oil, onion, garlic cloves, ginger root, celery stalk, mustard seeds, ground turmeric, curry powder, ground cumin (or whole cumin seeds), red pepper flakes, carrots, potato, granny smith apples, tomato paste, all-purpose flour, Masoor dal (split red lentils), vegetable broth, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper and fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.
Notes and Variations
- Make it vegetarian: I like using coconut milk to make this vegan, but you can swap that with heavy cream to make it vegetarian!
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of regular flour as a thickening agent (1:1 blends, tapioca flour and corn starch all work!)
- Add extra vegetables like diced potatoes, carrots, or bell peppers to make the soup heartier.
- Experiment with spices. I've kept a relatively traditional spice profile in this recipe, but you can play around with this! For instance, if you want an extra kick, add in chili powder instead of red pepper flakes. Or add more garam masala to enhance the curry flavors of the recipe.
- Choice of apple. I personally prefer a tart Granny Smith apple. However, if you want to use a sweeter variety, you can use Gala or Fuji apples.
- Add extra protein. Add in some beans or vegan meat substitutes like tempeh and seitan for added protein.
📖 Make stovetop Mulligatawny soup!
In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm oil over medium high heat. Then add the onions and celery, season with salt, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant and softened about 2 minutes. Then, once softened (taking care not to burn them), add mustard seeds, turmeric, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and ground cumin, and cook until mustard seeds pop and sizzle, about 1 minute.
Then, add the carrots, potatoes, and apple cubes, and cook until just starting to soften for 2 minutes. Finally, add tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring well to coat all the ingredients, for 2 minutes.
Add the Masoor dal (red lentils) and vegetable broth. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits.
Reduce the heat from medium heat to low heat. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the carrots and potatoes are tender, the soup is creamy, and flavors have blended.
Taste and add salt if needed. Add coconut milk and lime juice, and stir well.
Serve the soup in bowls and top with fresh cilantro leaves (or other herbs like fresh basil or chopped parsley), and more red pepper flakes if desired!
👩🏽🍳 Top tips to make the best Mulligatawny soup!
Follow these tips to make sure your soup is perfect every time!
- Start with a rich stock. A rich vegetable stock will provide the perfect base for the soup and will ensure that it has plenty of flavors. If you don't have time to make your own stock, you can always use store-bought broth as well.
- Use fresh ingredients. Fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices will add more flavor than dried ingredients, so try to buy them from your local farmers' market whenever possible.
- Don't skimp on spices! The traditional recipe calls for curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic powder, pepper flakes, and bay leaves. But you can totally experiment with different combinations of spices until you find one that works best for you!
- Simmer slowly. Once the ingredients are added, it might be tempting to turn up the heat, but let the soup simmer slowly over low heat! This brings out the flavors and allows them to meld together properly and also helps develops the creamy texture.
- Taste test as you go to ensure your soup has the perfect balance of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy!
👩🏽🍳Troubleshooting FAQs
Some of the recipes for mulligatawny soup include meat, such as chicken or lamb. But the recipe that inspired this soup (i.e., "Pepper Water") does not have any meat, so there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan versions that still have all the flavor and warmth of their meaty counterparts!
This traditional curry soup is believed to have originated in South India. It was very popular in the colonies of the British Raj, and has since become one of the most popular soups in Britain and is enjoyed all over the world.
It has a kick to it, but it's definitely not spicy! The amount of spice can vary depending on how much curry powder or red pepper flakes is added to the recipe, so you can definitely adjust this to your liking. My version of this soup is not spicy – just intensely flavorful!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Leftover Mulligatawny soup can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure you place it into an airtight and/or freezer safe container! I love portioning the soup (these Souper cubes are the perfect size for them) before I freeze them, so I can just pop the right amount out to reheat.!
When you're ready, simply reheat on low heat over the stovetop or for a few minutes in the microwave. If frozen, I suggest thawing out, either by placing in the fridge overnight, or just leaving it out to thaw, and then proceed.
Serve this Mulligatawny soup with a few slices of your favorite bread, with fresh basmati rice (like this Indian cumin rice) or with a crunchy salad (like this lemon garlic kale salad).
Looking for more soup recipes? Check out the following hearty soups:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Mulligatawny Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 onion, medium, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger root, peeled and minced
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced
- 1 medium potato, cubed
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, cubed (granny smith)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup masoor dal, split red lentils
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, season with salt, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant and softened about 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds, turmeric, curry powder, red pepper flakes, and ground cumin and cook until mustard seeds pop and sizzle, about 1 minute.
- Bring in the carrots, potatoes and apple cubes, and cook until just starting to soften for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring well to coat all the ingredients, for 2 minutes.
- Add the masoor dal and vegetable broth. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Reduce the heat.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the carrots and potatoes are tender, the soup is creamy, and the flavors have blended. Adjust salt if needed.
- Add coconut milk and lime juice, and stir well. Serve the soup in bowls, and top with fresh cilantro leaves and more red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
- Make it gluten-free by using gluten-free flour instead of regular flour as a thickening agent (1:1 blends, tapioca flour and corn starch all work!)
- Choice of apple. For this recipe, I personally prefer tart Granny Smith apples. However, if you want to use a sweeter variety, you can use Gala or Fuji apples.
- Add extra protein. Add in some beans or vegan meat substitutes like tempeh and seitan for added protein.
- Simmer it slowly. It might be tempting to turn up the heat, but simmering it slowly allows the flavors to meld together better and also creates the luscious texture I love in this soup!
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