Mulligatawny Soup

A creamy, smoky, peppery vegan Mulligatawny Soup recipe to chase away the winter blues--and bugs!

Here's a recipe for a Mulligatawny Soup that's comforting, delicious, healthy and perfect for this time of year. Red lentils and seasonal veggies like fennel and carrots blend into a pepper-spice and ginger-garlic flavored broth. A splash of coconut milk adds a creamy finishing touch. This is the kind of soup that makes you feel good from the inside out, and it really is good for you with all those herbs and spices that are known to protect your respiratory system. This vegan mulligatawny soup is also everyone friendly because it's soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free.

If there's only one soup I could make and eat all winter, it would be a Mulligatawny Soup. This soup, which Indian chefs first created for British colonizers, is really the perfect dish for any time of year but especially for winter when there's always someone around the home who has the sniffles. It doesn't hurt that it is also absolutely delicious and easy to make, with seasonal ingredients that make it even healthier.

What is a mulligatawny soup?

Mulligatawny, in the grand tradition of British colonizers mispronouncing vernacular words and then setting them as the standard, comes from the Tamil "milagu thanni" or "pepper water," with the pepper here being black pepper. Its origins perhaps lie in another delicious south Indian dal soup, the rasam, and there are anecdotes about early versions including tamarind water, like rasam, although cooks also added meat like chicken and mutton to the concoction to please the British palate.

Over time, and through various iterations, the mulligatawny veered farther and farther from the rasam, and today it bears just a passing resemblance to this classic south Indian dish. But it is just as delicious in its own right, and well worth making and eating.

Why you'll love this mulligatawny soup

• It's delicious. Creamy and smoky at once, this soup will awaken every tastebud and make your belly sing.
• It's healthy. The ingredients here, including black pepper, ginger, garlic and spices like turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, are all known for their ability to keep the human body healthy, including the respiratory system. They also are great immunity boosters. And there's nothing else in this soup, from the veggies to the lentils to the coconut milk, that's not absolutely great for you.
• It's easy. A mulligatawny is one of the easiest soup recipes you will ever make. There's not much that can go wrong here, just make sure you follow instructions and let the lentils and veggies cook thoroughly before you blend them.
• It's everyone-friendly. The soup is soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free and vegan. If you are low-carb, drop the potatoes. You'll still get a delicious soup with fewer carbs.

Tips for making a delicious mulligatawny

• You need black peppercorns for this recipe--they are, after all, the star ingredient. I add about half a tablespoon and that's enough for a nice kick, but if you are sensitive to heat, cut it down up to a teaspoon. I wouldn't skip the black peppercorns--you need them to get the right, authentic flavor of a mulligatawny.
• There are "sweet" vegetables in this recipe to tamp down the fire from the pepper and other spices. Some cooks use apples, along with the onions and carrots, but I like to use a fennel bulb. Fennel seeds are used by some Indo-British cooks in mulligatawny and the fennel bulb replaces those -- and the apples -- nicely. This is also a great veggie to eat in the winter, when it's seasonal. If you absolutely can't use fennel, replace it with one green apple.
• The potato adds a nice creaminess to the soup, and helps thicken it, so use it if you can. If you are low-carb, however, you can leave it out.
• The coconut milk adds a nice, creamy touch but you can leave it out if you want to cut down on the fat in the recipe. The soup is creamy enough without it.
• Make sure your mulligatawny is soupy, not thick and gloppy. And blend it so you don't have chunky veggies floating around in it. The consistency of a mulligatawny should be on the watery side (pepper water, remember?). The veggies and a spot of chickpea flour or besan added to the soup will ensure that it is full-bodied.
• Although this is not traditional, I like topping the soup with some lemon zest and even squirting on some lemon juice over the soup in the bowl while serving. The lemon gives an added vitamin C boost to protect from colds and viruses, helps mellow the heat down a bit more, and tastes wonderful.

Ingredients

• Spices: 4 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamom pods, ½ tablespoon black peppercorns (use less if sensitive to heat), and 2 bay leaves. If you don't have the individual spices you can replace this with 1 tablespoon garam masala, but add the garam masala later in the recipe, just before you add the coconut milk. You can also use curry powder for a slightly different flavor.
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• 4 cloves garlic + 1-inch knob ginger. Or use 1 heaping tablespoon of ginger garlic paste.
• Powdered spices: ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (use less if sensitive to heat, or skip. You can also use paprika, which is milder), ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 ½ tablespoons besan or chickpea flour
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 small potato
• 1 fennel bulb (can replace with one apple)
• ½ cup red lentils (masoor dal)
• 4-5 cups vegetable stock (or use water with 2 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon)
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon cilantro for garnish
• Salt to taste
• Zest and juice of a lemon (optional)

How to make the best mulligatawny soup

• Soak the lentils in water before you begin the rest of the cooking. This is not absolutely necessary but it speeds up the time needed to tenderize the lentils a bit. Drain the lentils before you add them to the rest of the soup.
• Heat the coconut oil. Add the curry leaves followed by the whole spices--cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves and peppercorns. Saute for a couple of minutes over medium heat until fragrant.
• Stir in the onions and saute for 3-4 minutes until they soften but don't brown.

• Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add the powdered spices: cayenne, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Stir to mix.

• Stir in the besan or chickpea flour and saute for a minute so it toasts.
• Add the vegetables to the pot--carrot, potato and fennel. Add a dash of salt and mix well. Saute for a couple of minutes.

• Add the lentils to the pot along with three cups of vegetable stock. I don't add all five cups of veg stock at once because it is a pain to get all that soupy stock into the blender. Instead, I add a cup or two more of stock while blending, which also helps cool down the soup a bit when added to the blender.
• Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer, cover with a tight lid, and cook 10-15 minutes until all the veggies are tender and the lentils have cooked.

• Carefully, working in batches if needed, transfer the soup to a blender. You can also just use an immersion blender. Add a cup of stock and puree until very smooth.
• At this point some would strain the soup, but I prefer to just use it as is. Pour the soup back into the pot. Add up to a cup more water if needed--I add it as I like my mulligatawny on the soupy side. Bring to a boil, then stir in the coconut milk.

• Warm through without bringing to a boil. Turn off the heat and ladle into bowls. Top each bowl with rice, a bit of chopped cilantro and lemon zest and spritz on some lemon juice if you like.

What to serve with the mulligatawny soup

The soup by itself is a complete meal--you have lentils and veggies and topped with rice it makes for a nutritious and well-balanced meal. If you want to, you can serve a fresh salad on the side for added health and deliciousness.

Storage and freezing

This mulligatawny soup will keep nicely in the fridge for up to four days. For longer storage place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw and reheat before serving.

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