Mulligatawny Soup
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This mulligatawny soup is a hearty, flavorful blend of spices, veggies, and chicken with a hint of sweetness from apple and coconut milk. Perfect for a cozy meal, it’s easy to customize with whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Mulligatawny soup blends Indian and British flavors in a soup that’s the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, and comforting. (Fun fact for Seinfeld fans: remember Kramer’s favorite soup from the famous Soup Nazi episode? That’s mulligatawny!) I often stir in some basmati rice for added substance, but truly, warm naan is all you need to complete the meal. Feel free to toss in leftover or frozen vegetables—sweet potatoes and frozen peas are both great additions—to make the soup even more nourishing.
“This soup was delicious and very easy! I served it with Naan bread and it was a quick and hearty meal that I will be making again.”
What You’ll Need To Make Mulligatawny Soup
- Garam Masala: This fragrant Indian spice blend includes peppercorns, mace, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. It’s available at most large grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, curry powder makes a good substitute.
- Carrots, Yellow Onion, Celery: These vegetables form a classic flavor base.
- Apple: Adds a subtle sweetness that complements the spices in the soup.
- Chicken Broth: The savory base of the soup, adding depth and richness.
- Coconut Milk: Gives the soup a creamy texture and a hint of tropical sweetness, complementing the spices.
- Red Lentils: Ideal for this soup as they cook quickly, add flavor, and thicken the soup. They break down during cooking, contributing to a heartier texture. Brown lentils are a suitable alternative, though they require longer cooking.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken: Using chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftovers adds convenience and enriches the soup with protein and flavor.
- Lime Juice: Adds a fresh, zesty brightness, cutting through the richness and balancing the flavors.
- Cilantro: Provides a fresh, herbal note to finish the dish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the vegetable/apple mixture and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, lentils, and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, until the lentils are tender and starting to break down. Then use an immersion blender to partially purée the soup until slightly thickened.
Stir in the chicken and fresh lime, then add the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. The soup will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator; freeze for longer storage.
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Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny soup melds the spicy warmth of Indian flavors with British cuisine, all in one deliciously heartwarming bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garam masala (or substitute curry powder)
- 1 cup diced carrots, from 2 to 3 carrots
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion, from 1 medium onion
- ½ cup finely chopped celery, from 2 stalks
- 1 tart-yet-sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp or Fuji, peeled and finely chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth, best quality such as Swanson
- 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 1⅓ cups red lentils
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftovers
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garam masala and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and apple, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, lentils, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the lentils are tender and starting to break down.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until slightly thickened. (Alternatively, use a ladle to transfer 2 to 3 cups of the soup to a blender. Remove the center knob so steam can escape. Hold a paper towel or kitchen towel over the opening to prevent splatters. Purée until smooth and return the blended soup to the pot.)
- Add the cooked chicken and 1 tablespoon lime juice, and heat until warmed through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, more lime juice, and cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve the soup generously sprinkled with fresh chopped cilantro, with lime wedges on the side.
- Note: The soup will thicken as it sits. Add more chicken broth to thin it out if necessary.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. (The soup will thicken up when frozen, so you may need to add a bit of broth when reheating.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 367
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 22g
- Sodium: 434mg
- Cholesterol: 35mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This soup, as every recipe of yours I’ve tried is outstanding, easy to make and delicious. I used Garam Masala from Whole Foods, but added both Red Curry, and regular curry from the Spice Island brand, which took it over the top. But the star of the meal was hands down the homemade naan! I consider myself an intermediate cook, but have never made ‘bread’ from scratch. Absolutely, positively outstanding! 10 star worthy 🙂
A friend just introduced me to mulligatawny, and I’m hooked! I was really excited to see you post your version of it. I viewed other, more complicated recipes, but yours was absolutely fantastic. It tasted even better the next day with more basmati rice and warm naan.
Your recipes are well-loved, well-used, and well-trusted in my kitchen!
Thank you, Nicole! That is so nice to read. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Absolutely perfect!!
Once again another great recipe. Very quick and it came out great. The hardest part for me was getting the rostierrie chicken that always seems to be sold out at the store. I have never used red lentils and I thought it was a little strange to have an apple in soup, but I thought it was delicious. Will make again and again!
Never had Mulligatawny before. This was delish! I just love, love, love your recipes Jenn! Keep them coming!
Very nice! Everyone in my family loved it! I will make it again!
I love fall! It starts to get cooler, the leaves change, in the evenings there are the smells of firepits/fireplaces being lit, and I can finally make soup again! I love having a pot of soup simmering for hours, but on weekdays, that can’t happen. Enter this gem! It’s fast, uses ingredients I always have on hand, and delicious! All I have to do is grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home from work, and I’m good to go! Adding the apples gives this a slightly sweet side and using the food processor really gets it in the pot quickly. Oh, and it makes the house smell heavenly. My family loved it too. Win/Win!
Just cooked this, with slightly less chicken to lower the calories, for our 5:2 day. Absolutely gorgeous with some home made flatbreads (well, only one flatbread for me – it is diet day after all, but we can eat the rest tomorrow). Yummy. We’ll be doing this one again. Pouring with rain, so couldn’t be bothered to go outside and pick a lime, so halved a kaffir lime that was lurking in the kitchen and chucked that in the pot when I added the lentils. Gave it a lovely slightly sour flavour. This definitely gets the thumbs up.
Do you have to use a food processor or can you just dice up vegetables finely? We are in the middle of moving and I packed up my food processor… big mistake! Thanks.
Hi Ann, You absolutely do not need a food processor — in fact, you will have much better results doing it by hand 🙂
I had to go to an international food market for the red lentils. They break down nicely. This was a nice alternative to chicken noodle soup. It’s very hearty and satisfying. Of course it tasted even better the second day. I will make it again with shrimp. I served with basmati rice and store bought naan.