Whip up this delicious Instant Pot Mulligatawny Soup in under an hour. This Indian-inspired curry soup has hearty vegetables and lentils in a rich coconut broth, and cooked in the Instant Pot for convenience.
Heat the Instant Pot on the sauté setting and add the oil. When hot, add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 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.
Cover the pot and turn the valve to the sealing position. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. When the cooking time is up, quick release the pressure.
Check the consistency of the soup, adjust the salt if needed or cook for longer until the ingredients are soft to your liking. Once done, stir in the coconut milk.
Serve hot, topped with fresh cilantro leaves and more red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
I use Granny Smith apples in this recipe for its tartness, but you can also use Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala apples based on your preference for sweetness.
Don’t overcook. You want to soup to be cooked to just be soft, not mushy. The key here is to quick release pressure once it's done cooking. I've found that natural pressure release, you will end up with a less flavorful and more watery result.