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Mulligatawny is a creamy, hearty soup full of apples, lentils, and delicious Indian spices. This recipe is vegetarian (with a vegan option) and gluten free.
A restaurant that I worked at long ago served chicken mulligatawny soup, and people raved about it. Of course, being a vegetarian, I never tried it.
Years down the road, I decided to make my own and it was delicious! I don’t know why I waited so long.
If you like Indian food, you’ll love this soup. Garam masala and other Indian spices provide a familiar flavor profile, apples give the soup a slight tang, and coconut milk makes it rich and creamy.
The history of mulligatawny
Mulligatawny is a Southern Indian soup. The word is an anglicized version of the Tamil words meaning pepper water.
It was popular amongst the British in the 18th century during colonial times, and has since made its way into western culture.
Over the years, many variations of the recipe have been created, with western ingredients being added. The recipe I’m sharing with you is a vegetarian version (with a vegan option) based on this recipe from The Wanderlust Kitchen.
This mulligatawny soup is:
- hearty
- warming
- creamy
- flavored with Indian spices
- full of protein
- vegetarian/vegan
- gluten free
Are all coconut milks the same?
This recipe uses coconut milk to give it a rich, creamy consistency and it’s so important to use good quality coconut milk.
Not all coconut milk is created equal! Depending on the brand, the ratio of coconut milk to water will vary, which affects the flavor, consistency and nutritional value. Some brands only contain coconut milk and water, while others have sweeteners and preservatives added. It is really disappointing to open a can (or carton) of coconut milk and have it taste watery and artificial. It can completely ruin the flavor of your dish.
I recommend using Aroy-D brand (from Thailand), which can be found at any Asian store. You can also buy it online here. It is contains 60% coconut milk and water, and that’s it. It is delicious and creamy, and tastes very natural.
How do you make mulligatawny soup?
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of butter (or coconut oil for the vegan version)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 2 teaspoons of ginger, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño or other chili pepper of your choice (optional), finely diced
- 2 small granny smith apples (or 1 large), cored, peeled and diced
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
- 1 tablespoon of garam masala
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of red lentils
- 3 cups water
- 2 cubes of vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup of canned coconut milk
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Step 1: Melt the butter (or oil) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Then, add the onion and carrots (and jalapeño if using it) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
Step 2: Add the spices, tomatoes and apples and cook for another 3 minutes, to let the spices open up. Then, add the lentils, water and bouillon and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Add about 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (you can also use an immersion blender if you have one). Add the blended soup back into the pot, then add the coconut milk and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 4: Ladle it into a bowl, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve it on its own, or with warm naan or Basmati. Enjoy!
Note: My kids absolutely love this soup, so I omit the jalapeño when making it. Instead, I add cayenne pepper to my own bowl!
Try these other delicious soups!
Mulligatawny Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter (or coconut oil for the vegan version)
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 teaspoons ginger finely diced
- 1 jalapeño or other chili pepper (optional) finely diced
- 2 small granny smith apples (or 1 large) peeled, cored and diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 3 cups water
- 2 cubes vegetable bouillon
- 1 cup coconut milk
- fresh cilantro (for garnish) chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter (or oil) in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant. Then, add the onion and carrots (and jalapeño if using it) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the spices, tomatoes and apples and cook for another 3 minutes, to let the spices open up. Then, add the lentils, water and bouillon and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Add about 3/4 of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth (you can also use an immersion blender if you have one). Add the blended soup back into the pot, then add the coconut milk and mix until fully incorporated.
- Ladle it into a bowl, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve it on its own, or with warm naan or Basmati. Enjoy!
Notes
- My kids absolutely love this soup, so I omit the jalapeño when making it. Instead, I add cayenne pepper to my own bowl!
- I use Maggi veggie bouillon. You can substitute another brand or vegetable broth, but the salt may have to be adjusted.
- I highly recommend using good quality coconut milk, like Arroy-D.
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