Mulligatawny Soup is a perfect one pot dinner for busy weeknights. The best part it is truly gratifying and comforting.
Estimated reading time: 0 minutes
- Story of Mulligatawny Soup
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Mulligatawny in IP
- FAQs Related To Mulligatawny
- Mulligatawny Soup Recipe
Story of Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny has its roots in Tamil Nadu, India. The words ‘miḷagu’ means pepper, and ‘taṇṇi’ means water; that is how the soup got its name. This spicy lentil soup recipe became widely popular among British residents during the stay of the East India Company.
The marriage between the two cuisines (Indian and British) gave birth to famous Anglo-Indian Cuisine , inherently Indian dishes with an English twist. And mulligatawny is one of the beloved Ango Indian dishes.
Traditionally, mulligatawny was a vegetarian soup with lots of vegetables, lentils, pepper, and a dash of coconut milk to signify the southern coastal cuisine. It is very similar to a lentil stew with a few ingredients here and there.
You can find a delicious version of mulligatawny soup in my debut cookbook also under chapter – ‘One Pot Curry Meal’. Sometimes I liked to blend it and serve as a creamy soup as shown in the recipe video below.
Why You’ll LOVE This Soup Recipe
- gluten, nut, and soy free
- meal prep and family friendly
- vegan, plant based dinner
- easy, healthy, and tasty
- easily customisable
Ingredients You’ll Need
Like many other soup recipes , everyone has a favourite way of making Mulligatawny. You can adapt this soup recipe, add some tweaks, and make it your own.
- Pink or Red Lentil (Masoor Dal)
- White Rice or brown rice for the thickness and creaminess.
- Ginger, Garlic, Celery, Onion
- Apple – you can use any variety of apple tasting from slightly sour to sweet.
- Carrot – you can use zucchini, green beans, potatoes, or peas
- Curry Powder – if not available, use red chili powder and turmeric
- Vegetable Stock or 1 bouillon cube
- Salt, Dried Oregano, Bay Leaf
- Coconut Milk – you can replace it with any nut milk
- Olive Oil or use coconut oil
How To Make Mulligatawny in IP
Mulligatawny takes less than 20 minutes to get cooked in an instant pot .
Step 1) Rinse and soak the rice and lentil in a bowl for 10 – 15 minutes.
Step 2) Set instant pot to saute mode for 5 minutes. Next, add oil, bay leaf, ginger, garlic, celery, and onion. Saute for 1 minute or till the aroma of herbs is released.
Step 3) Add the carrots, tomato paste, soaked lentils, and rice without any water. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Step 4) Add vegetable stock, spices, and salt. Stir and seal the lid of the instant pot. Pressure Cook soup for 8 minutes in a high-pressure setting.
Step 5) Release the pressure manually. Add coconut milk, black pepper, and coriander. Stir to combine.
Mulligatawny is ready to serve. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves, squeeze a lemon or drizzle a spoonful of chilli oil and coconut milk.
Alternatively you can make mulligatawny in a Dutch oven on stovetop. It takes less than 30 minutes, blend it and serve it as a creamy, luscious, wholesome soup. I bet nobody can guess the ingredients.
Yes, you can add boneless chicken thighs or breasts while pressure cooking the soup. Before serving, remove the cooked chicken shred it using a fork, and mix in the soup.
Yes, you can. Cooking time will be around 30 minutes as lentils and rice take time to get cooked. In the video, I have shared a stovetop method. Or you can use Indian pressure cooker as well to make this lentil soup.
Mulligatawny is a healthy, wholesome, fulfilling soup with only 290 calories per serving. It has vegan protein, carbohydrates, veggies, and fiber. Making it a perfect low-calorie dinner.
More Soup Recipes
- Green Pea Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Veg Minestrone Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Tomato Couscous Soup
- Broccoli Almond Soup
Ingredients
- ▢ ¼ Cup pink lentil (masoor dal)
- ▢ ¼ Cup white rice
- ▢ 4 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 1 whole bay leaf
- ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped celery
- ▢ ½ Cup chopped onion
- ▢ ½ Cup finely chopped carrot
- ▢ ¼ Cup finely chopped apple (remove the skin and seeds) or tomato paste
- ▢ 3 Cup vegetable stock or broth ( see recipe )
- ▢ 1 Cup coconut milk
- ▢ Salt and black pepper to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon curry powder ( see recipe )
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Prep Work For Soup:
- Start with preparing and chopping all the vegetables. Set aside.
- Rinse and soak the rice and lentil in two separate bowls in 1 cup of water each for 10 – 15 minutes.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup:
- Set instant pot to saute mode for 5 minutes. Next, add oil, bay leaf, ginger, garlic, celery, and onion. Saute for a minute or till the aroma of herbs is released.
- Add the diced carrots, soaked lentil, and rice without any water. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Add vegetable stock, spices, and salt. Stir and seal the lid of the instant pot. Pressure Cook soup for 8 minutes in a high-pressure setting.
- After 8 minutes, release the steam manually and open the lid of the instant pot.
- Add coconut milk, black pepper, and coriander. Stir and gently mash the soup using the ladle. You can simmer the soup in Saute mode for 5 minutes after adding coconut milk.
- Drizzle lemon juice. Serve Mulligatawny Soup warm.
Recipe Notes:
- You can make this lentil soup on a stovetop as well. It usually takes 30 – 40 minutes on a stovetop.
- One can add diced potatoes, zucchini, green peas, or shredded chicken in this lentil soup.
- For tartness, you can either use apples, chopped tomatoes, or tomato paste.
- If after cooking soup seems too thick, get the desired consistency by adding more coconut milk or vegetable broth/stock.
- Mulligatawny Soup is easy to reheat on a microwave or stovetop and can be stored in fridge for a week easily.
Nutrition
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Mulligatawny Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup pink lentil (masoor dal)
- ¼ Cup white rice
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup finely chopped carrot
- ¼ Cup finely chopped apple (remove the skin and seeds) or tomato paste
- 3 Cup vegetable stock or broth ( see recipe )
- 1 Cup coconut milk
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder ( see recipe )
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Prep Work For Soup:
- Start with preparing and chopping all the vegetables. Set aside.
- Rinse and soak the rice and lentil in two separate bowls in 1 cup of water each for 10 - 15 minutes.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup:
- Set instant pot to saute mode for 5 minutes. Next, add oil, bay leaf, ginger, garlic, celery, and onion. Saute for a minute or till the aroma of herbs is released.
- Add the diced carrots, soaked lentil, and rice without any water. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Add vegetable stock, spices, and salt. Stir and seal the lid of the instant pot. Pressure Cook soup for 8 minutes in a high-pressure setting.
- After 8 minutes, release the steam manually and open the lid of the instant pot.
- Add coconut milk, black pepper, and coriander. Stir and gently mash the soup using the ladle. You can simmer the soup in Saute mode for 5 minutes after adding coconut milk.
- Drizzle lemon juice. Serve Mulligatawny Soup warm.
Video
Notes
- You can make this lentil soup on a stovetop as well. It usually takes 30 - 40 minutes on a stovetop.
- One can add diced potatoes, zucchini, green peas, or shredded chicken in this lentil soup.
- For tartness, you can either use apples, chopped tomatoes, or tomato paste.
- If after cooking soup seems too thick, get the desired consistency by adding more coconut milk or vegetable broth/stock.
- Mulligatawny Soup is easy to reheat on a microwave or stovetop and can be stored in fridge for a week easily.
Nutrition
Pahadi Aloo Paani is a comforting, spicy, soupy aloo ki sabzi from Uttarakhand without without onion, garlic, tomato, or ginger.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How To Make Aloo Paani
- Pahadi Aloo Paani Recipe
Pahadi Aloo Paani is a delicious sattvic style potato curry without onion or garlic from Uttarakhand state in India. Curries such as this aloo paani illustrates how the best of local and seasonal produce like potato can be transformed into a comforting meal.
The hilly ranges of Kumaon are well known for a specific variety of potato – Pahadi Aloo. There is a hint of sweetness in these potatoes, perfect to make aloo ke gutke or aloo paani.
Adding freshly crushed whole spices to the aloo paani is my great grandmother’s trick, who was an excellent cook. In her kitchen, aloo paani was always slow cooked on a wood fire in a cast iron kadhai.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potato should be peeled and smashed. Avoid chopping them with a knife. Smashed potatoes give a rustic appeal to the curry. That’s why it is also known as aloo ki thechwani in many places.
- Spice Paste: Cinnamon, Clove, Black Cardamom, Garlic (optional, but we love), coriander steams/stalks
- Spice Powders: Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Asafoetida, Turmeric
- Key Flavouring Agents: Mustard Oil, Green Chillies, Fresh Coriander Leaves
- Salt, Water, Cumin, Fenugreek Seeds (methi dana)
How To Make Aloo Paani
- Peel, wash, and smash the potatoes in a mortar and pestle to break them into uneven pieces. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same mortar and pestle, add cinnamon, black cardamom, cloves, garlic, coriander stems and make a fine paste.
- Heat oil, once it starts smoking, add cumin, asafoetida, and fenugreek seeds. Saute for a 20 – 30 seconds.
- Add smashed potatoes and fry them for a minute or till potatoes become golden from the edges.
- Add whole spice paste, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, water, and salt. Mix nicely.
- Cover and cook over low heat till potatoes are cooked and gravy is slightly thick. Gently mash the potatoes with the back of the ladle.
- Before serving, add sliced green chillies, and chopped coriander leaves.
The Pahadi style aloo paani is best enjoyed with basmati rice and lai ki sabzi . On certain festive occasions, you can serve it with poori and raita for an elaborate Kumaoni style thali meal.
More Kumaoni Recipes
- Pahadi Mooli Ki Kadhi
- Pahadi Chainsa Bhaat
- Kumaoni Style Vada
- Pahadi Gahat Ki Dal
- Pahadi Lai Ki Sabzi
- Pahadi Badi Bhaat
Ingredients
- ▢ 3 – 4 medium-size potato
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ▢ ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi dana)
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 – 2 green chili slited
- ▢ 2 tablespoon mustard oil
Ingredients to grind
- ▢ half inch piece of cinnamon (dal chini)
- ▢ 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
- ▢ 2 cloves laung
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves
- ▢ ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ▢ 4 – 5 coriander stalks
Instructions
- Start with grinding the whole spices in mortar and pestle to a coarse powder. You can do the same in mixer as well but I stick to mortar and pestle for making spice powders in small quantity.
- Next peel the potatoes, wash and pat dry them with a kitchen towel. Cut each potato into equal halves.
- Place one potato piece in between the kitchen towel and smash it with a rolling pin. The idea is to break the potato into uneven chunks. Similarly, smash the remaining potato pieces. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat oil in a cast iron kadhai over high flame. Once the mustard oil starts fuming, reduce the flame to low.
- Add cumin, fenugreek and asafoetida. Stir for few seconds. Add coriander powder, green chili, stir and then add potato chunks.
- Fry the potato chunks for 3 – 5 minutes stirring occasionally in between.
- Next add turmeric powder, red chili powder, spice paste, and salt. Stir to mix. Fry the potato for 3 – 5 more minutes.
- Add 2 Cup of water, cover the skillet with a lid and let the curry simmer over low heat. Aloo Paani as the name suggest is a watery curry so don’t hesitate while adding water.
- After 15 minutes, open the lid and check potato for doneness. If potatoes are bit uncooked from the centre simmer the curry covered for few more minutes. If potato are cooked through, gently mash them with the back of the ladle.
- Simmer the curry for 10 more minutes uncovered over low heat. Add chopped coriander and green chilli.
- Serve Aloo Paani with Poori or rice for lunch/dinner.
Recipe Notes:
- For an authentic flavor it is highly recommended to use mustard oil for cooking aloo paani.
- If you don’t want to crush whole spices, add a teaspoon of garam masala powder .
- The curry has a thin and watery consistency. Hence, once potato are cooked, stop cooking the curry.
- Many recipes suggest adding jumbu or jhakhiya ka tadka, it is completely optional like adding garlic.
Nutrition
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