Mulligatawny
A soup from colonial India: the British, used to a soup course at dinner, turned a Tamil peppery broth into a thick, filling dish. The name comes from miḷagu taṇṇīr — "pepper water". Two things give it character: spices bloomed in fat rather than tipped into stock, and apple, whose acidity and sweetness balance the heaviness of the lentils.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Chopping and blooming the spices 15 min
- Vegetables 12 min
- Simmering 35 min
- Finishing 10 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneBloom the spices in butter
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and add all the spices, frying for 60–90 seconds until intensely fragrant and slightly darkened. Most curry aromatics dissolve in fat — tipped straight into stock they leave a raw, dusty taste.
Ingredients: 2 tbsp curry powder · 1 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp ground cumin · ½ tsp chilli flakes
Spices into fat first, liquid only afterwards.Sweat the vegetables in the spiced butter
Straight away, before the spices scorch, add the finely diced onion, carrot and celery, lower the heat and sweat for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic and ginger for the last minute only — scorched garlic turns bitter, and no amount of coconut milk removes that.
Ingredients: 40 g butter · 2 pcs onions · 2 pcs carrots · 2 pcs celery sticks · 3 cloves garlic · 25 g ginger
Add lentils, apple and chicken
Add the rinsed lentils, the peeled, diced apple and the chicken in large pieces, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. The apple will disappear completely and you will not see it in the finished soup — its job is acidity and sweetness, not texture.
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils · 1 pcs apple · 400 g chicken thighs · 1400 ml chicken stock · 200 ml coconut milk · 150 g rice · 1 tsp salt · 1 pcs lemon · ½ bunch coriander
Apple and lentils both break down entirely.Simmer for 35 minutes
Simmer gently for 35 minutes, until the lentils have collapsed and the chicken flakes under a fork. Stir now and then — red lentils like to settle and catch on the base. Meanwhile cook the rice according to the packet.
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils · 1 pcs apple · 400 g chicken thighs · 1400 ml chicken stock · 200 ml coconut milk · 150 g rice · 1 tsp salt · 1 pcs lemon · ½ bunch coriander
Lift out the chicken and blend half
Fish out the chicken, shred it with a fork, and blend the soup only halfway — part smooth, part still holding pieces of vegetable. Blended completely it looks like a purée and stops feeling like a meal.
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils · 1 pcs apple · 400 g chicken thighs · 1400 ml chicken stock · 200 ml coconut milk · 150 g rice · 1 tsp salt · 1 pcs lemon · ½ bunch coriander
Half and half: smooth base, pieces you can feel.Add coconut milk and finish with lemon
Return the chicken, pour in the coconut milk and warm through without boiling. Season with salt and lemon juice at the very end — acid added off the heat stays vivid, boiled it loses its freshness. Serve over rice with coriander.
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils · 1 pcs apple · 400 g chicken thighs · 1400 ml chicken stock · 200 ml coconut milk · 150 g rice · 1 tsp salt · 1 pcs lemon · ½ bunch coriander
Before you start
Vegetarian version
Leave out the chicken, raise the lentils to 280 g and use vegetable stock. The soup is then thicker and usually needs more lemon to avoid tasting dull — loosen it with stock if needed.
How hot to make it
This version is mild — the name refers to pepper, and curry powder usually contains it already. If you like it hotter, add fresh chilli or a pinch of cayenne at the table.
It thickens in the fridge
The lentils keep swelling and by the next day the soup is nearly a purée. Loosen with stock or water when reheating and season again with lemon — acidity fades first.
