Make this when you want something different. Comforting. Deeply satisfying. And so tasty. If you like dal, you are going to love mulligatawny soup. It can be what’s for dinner. With a paratha or naan. Little green salad on the side. It’s that satisfying. Soup that eats like a meal. Leave the chicken out and you have a nice “cream of” style soup without the cream. Very posh. Perfect for a dinner party. Just keep the portions small. Or go with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, leave out the garnish and it’s vegan. It’s gluten free too. Lentils are environmentally friendly. Healthy. Good for the planet. Sometimes delicious can be good for you. It happens. It’s rare. But it happens. This is one of those times. I love these times.
Mulligatawny soup – English or Indian?
Mulligatawny soup comes from Colonial India. Time of the British Raj. Back in the late 1800s. It’s an English recipe really. Roots in Indian cooking for sure. But British. It’s like a tame sambar. Or a pureed rasam. A western take on Indian flavours. East meets west. Kipling stands corrected… Depending on who you believe it is named for the Tamil words for pepper and water. This recipe does have a good amount of black pepper in it. Roll back on it if you’re not a big pepper fan. Use a bit of white pepper instead if you are doing this for a dinner party. No little black flecks that way. Or embrace those black flecks. Feature them. That’s what I do. It’s pepper water. It should have pepper. I think anyway. Pepper water. It’s funny. This has nothing to do with pepper water. And everything to do with bold flavours and creamy texture. Have I mentioned I love mulligatawny soup?
Mulligatawny soup is lentil soup
This is a creamy lentil soup without the cream. Masoor dal or red split lentils to be exact. Great thing about masoor dal. Cook it long enough and it disintegrates. Just perfect for soup. Like any pureed lentil soup it has good body. Texture. Mouthfeel. The spice mix adds a warming heat. The lemon brings a bit of acidity to cut through it all. Wakes every thing up nicely. I’ve seen a lot of mulligatawny recipes out there that have a ton of stuff in them. Vegetables. Rice. Coconut milk. Like a stew really. Or a vegetable curry. I’ve even seen recipes without lentils. That just makes no sense to me. Just strange. I can see the coconut milk. Maybe. I might try that some time. Mulligatawny over rice. Makes sense. But rice and no lentils? Not for me. You might disagree. I’m good with that. But give this version a try before you write me off…
Make it ahead of time
The great thing about mulligatawny soup is it reheats really well. It’s a lentil dish so there’s nothing to get overcooked really. You can just warm it up gently before you serve. If you are adding cream do that after you warm it up. It’s bullet proof. Perfect for dinner parties. Makes a great lunch too. Something to bring to work. It’s even microwave friendly. And it’s a snap to make. Cook some lentils and potatoes in stock. Puree it. A blender works best. Fry up some spices with some garlic ginger paste. Cook the chicken. It’s cut into small pieces so that takes no time. Toss it all together. Add a bit of fresh lemon juice to brighten things up and serve. This is really dead easy. This recipe is loosely based on a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s Illustrated Indian Cookery. I don’t usually do tribute recipes. Try to stick to my own stuff. But we are talking about Madhur here. And I owe her. Lots of people owe her. She started me off. My very first Indian cookbook. Should have paid more attention to what my parents were cooking. Whether it’s Indian or English, mulligatawny soup is a great addition to any menu. Try it. If you like lentils. And you like Indian flavours. Then you are just going to love this. I know I do. Seriously good.
