This fragrant Indian Mulligatawny Soup is spiced with curry and made from creamy red lentils, carrots, apples, and coconut milk. Make a double batch and freeze the leftovers!
20 min Prep Time, 40 min Cook Time, 60 min Total Time, Yields 6+
Ingredients
- Melt butter or ghee in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and jalapeno, then sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
- Add the garlic, ginger, apples, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Sauté for another 3 minutes, then add in all of the spices and toss to coat. Add in the lentils and broth and let the contents come to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Puree about 75% of the ingredients using either an immersion blender or by transferring a portion of the contents to the bowl of a standard blender. Leave some of the chunks whole, as it adds a nice texture and consistency to the soup. Return the soup to the pot if needed, then stir in the coconut milk. Taste, and adjust salt and black pepper as needed.
- Serve topped with cashews and scallions along with naan bread or roti for dipping.
1/4 cup butter or ghee (or olive oil for vegan)
1 large sweet or yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
1 red jalapeno, seeded and diced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger root
2 small firm apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup red lentils (uncooked)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk Salt and black pepper to taste
Roasted cashews for garnish
Chopped cilantro and/or scallions for garnish
Note: keep an eye on the fluids. Lentils are very thirsty and will soak up a large amount of liquid. After adding the broth, if the soup begins to look a little dry, add more broth or water to finish.
This is vegetarian style dish, but it works very well with chicken. I buy a roasted chicken from the grocer and pull all the skin off and discard it, and then shred the meat with a fork or fingers. Mix into the soup for a great protein addition. You can substitute Greek style yogurt for the coconut milk. The spices can be increased based on your family’s taste to make it more savory.
Historical note: Mulligatawny is the Anglicized version of the Tamil (a southern Indian Dravidian language) words for “pepper water” or “pepper broth.” It became popular with the British stationed in India (employees of the East India Company) during colonial times, during the late 18th century and later. When they returned home, they brought the recipe back with them to England, and to other members of the Commonwealth, especially Australia.
#soup #indian #savory