Mulligatawny Soup is a traditional Indian soup with vegetables and lentils in a creamy coconut broth, making it a great vegetarian or vegan option for any occasion. Ready in under an hour, this is a great make-ahead meal for every night of the week!
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!