I first had this traditional Indian dish years ago, and I fell in love with it immediately. So after years of dreaming of this lovely explosion of flavor, I finally made it myself. Note, though it usually uses chicken, I opted to include it but scooped my serving out first. Does it need chicken, heck no. But hey, you do you : )

Mulligatawny is the result of British influence in India where colonizers altered their traditional rasam and made it hefty by adding chicken.

A few notes, if you Google Mulligatawny, first of all good luck spelling it right … but second of all, know that there are some different versions out there. Many call for cayenne, but I prefer red pepper flakes. Some use tomato paste, I do not because I don’t want it to compete with the curry. Some use rice in the soup, I do not, but I do serve leftovers with rice the next day. Also, some use cumin seeds … well, I didn’t have any so I left those out and used cumin powder. And some recipes also use mustard seeds, which I did not use. Also, I’ve seen flour added and or corn starch to thicken but I opted not to use either. And truthfully, while the first day it was more soup-like than stew-like, the second day it was very thick as the lentils soaked up even more broth. Oh, and I add sweet potato and the lentils, which some recipes call for and some do not. 

Mulligatawny 

PREP TIME: 45 minutes | COOK TIME: 60 minutes

• Olive oil for sauteing
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3-4 TBS garlic, minced
• 4 TBS ginger, minced
• 3 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped
• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped
• 8+ cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans lite coconut milk
• 1-2 cups red lentils, precooked
• Optional: 2 cups or so of cooked, shredded chicken thighs

In a large Dutch oven (I used a 7.5Q), warm a few teaspoons of olive oil and saute the onion and celery for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add all the spices and coat the onion and celery, stirring constantly. Add the carrot, apple, sweet potato, and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Add coconut milk and precooked lentils and chicken if you’re using it. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Serve with naan, bread, or you could use rice as well and let people dish the soup over the rice. Whatever you do, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: Our recipes are just that, ours. Some are modified versions of dishes we’ve had elsewhere or old-favorites that contained animal proteins that we replaced with plant-based options, while others are a concentrated effort of trial and error. But all are intended to be altered by you and made to suit your tastes. So if you want more garlic or none at all, go for it. You do you ; ) Now for the serious part … periodically this site does offer health, nutrition and exercise information. The information provided is not intended as medical advice and is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice given by a licensed physician or other health-care professional. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, consult your physician and never delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on this site. The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.