Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny soup is a curried lentil soup with chopped apple stirred through it, and that apple is the whole reason I keep coming back to it. The curry powder and turmeric give you the warmth you expect from a bowl like this, and then the apple slips in underneath with a soft sweetness that keeps the spice from turning heavy. It tastes rich and gently spiced, closer to a full meal than a starter.

Red lentils do the quiet work here. They break down as they simmer and thicken the broth into something you can stand a spoon in, so you get a soup that fills you up without any meat in it. A little basmati rice goes in for body, and a swirl of warm cream at the end gives the soup a smooth and velvety finish.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The red lentils collapse as they cook and thicken the broth on their own, so the soup turns hearty without a roux-heavy base or any straining.
• Chopped apple gives you a gentle sweetness that balances the curry, which is what sets mulligatawny apart from an ordinary lentil soup.
• It reheats better than most soups. The spices settle in and the flavor holds up for lunch the next day.
• Everything happens in one pot, from softening the vegetables to the final swirl of cream, so there’s very little to wash afterward.
• It freezes well if you hold the cream back, which makes it a sensible one to batch when you have a free afternoon.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.

Red lentils. These are the ones that break down, and that’s what you want here. They turn soft and creamy as they cook, and that soft texture is what sets the soup up. Brown or green lentils hold their shape and won’t give you the same body, so stick with red for this.

Curry powder and turmeric. The curry powder carries most of the flavor and the turmeric brings the color and a little earthiness. You cook them for a couple of minutes before any liquid goes in, which is worth doing properly rather than rushing.

Apple. One apple, cored and chopped. It’s the ingredient that makes this mulligatawny and not just a curried lentil soup. A tart apple like Granny Smith gives you the clearest contrast against the cream and spice, but a regular eating apple works fine if that’s what you have.

Basmati rice. A quarter cup, added partway through, cooks right in the pot and gives the soup a little extra substance. Basmati keeps its shape better than short-grain rice, so it stays pleasant rather than turning to mush.

Heavy cream. Warmed and stirred in at the very end, off any hard heat. It rounds the spice out and gives the soup its velvet finish. Warming it first keeps it from splitting when it hits the hot pot.

How to Make Mulligatawny Soup

A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.

Soften the Vegetables

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot. Let them cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until they’ve softened and lost their raw edge. This is your flavor base, so don’t rush it while the butter is still doing its work.

Bloom the Spices

Stir in the flour, curry powder, and turmeric and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often so nothing catches. Cooking the spices in the fat before the liquid goes in is where the depth comes from. You’ll smell them open up, which is your cue to move on.

Simmer the Lentils

Pour in the red lentils and the vegetable broth and mix well. Bring it up to a boil, then drop the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. The lentils will start to soften and break down as they go, which is what gives the soup its body.

Add the Rice and Apple

Stir in the chopped apple, the basmati rice, a pinch of dried thyme, and salt and pepper. Keep it simmering for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is tender. Taste it near the end and adjust the salt, since the broth you used will decide how much it needs.

Finish with Cream

Take the pot off the hard heat and stir in the warmed heavy cream just before serving. Garnish each bowl with a little fresh parsley and serve it hot.

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

• Cook the spices before the liquid. Give the curry powder and turmeric their two to three minutes in the butter before the broth goes in. Adding them straight to liquid leaves them tasting raw and flat.
• Warm the cream first. Cold cream dropped into a hot pot can split. Warming it and stirring it in off the boil keeps the finish smooth.
• Use a tart apple if you have one. I reach past the sweet apples for a Granny Smith here, because the tartness cuts through the cream more clearly and keeps the bowl from tipping toward heavy.
• Watch the pot as the lentils go. Red lentils thicken fast and can stick toward the end. Give it a stir now and then, and add a splash more broth if it tightens up more than you want.

Recipe Variations

• Swap the cream for coconut milk. This makes the soup fully dairy-free and adds a subtle sweetness that sits well with the curry. I’ve tested it a few times, so you can make the switch with confidence.
• Stir in fresh ginger and garlic. I add these with the vegetables when I want more aroma and savory depth behind the curry. It’s a tested tweak, so add it as you please.
• Add diced potato with the rice. I’ve tried for a thicker, heartier bowl. The potato needs the same simmering time as the rice, so cut it small so it cooks through.
• Warm it up with a pinch of cayenne. Sprinkled in while the spices toast, it brings a gentle heat. This is a supported tweak rather than a change to the recipe’s structure, so start small and taste as you go.

How to Store Leftovers

Let the soup cool, then keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Get it into the fridge within two hours of cooking rather than leaving the pot out to cool on the counter. Reheat it gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water to loosen it, since it thickens as it sits.

For the freezer, leave the cream out and add it fresh at reheating, since dairy can separate once thawed. The soup keeps for up to 3 months this way. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm it through on the stove before serving.

What to Serve With Mulligatawny Soup

This is filling enough to be dinner on its own, but a few things round it out nicely. I like to put out warm soft and fluffy naan bread for tearing and dipping, which suits the curry warmth in the soup.

For something fresh alongside, an easy green salad with a sherry vinegar dressing keeps the meal light. And if you want a warm vegetable on the side, roasted cauliflower with rosemary and pine nuts holds up well next to the spice.

FAQs

More Warming Soups to Try Next

If this one hits the spot, here are a few more soups from the site worth a place in your rotation.

• Creamy Coconut Lentil Soup is another lentil soup built on curry powder and coconut milk, one to try if you liked the spiced, creamy direction here.
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup pairs roasted squash with curry powder and a swirl of coconut milk, smooth and warming for the same kind of evening.
• Vegan Thai Coconut Curry Soup goes bolder, with red curry paste, carrots, and sweet potato for when you want more heat.
• Sweet Potato Soup is gentler and a little sweet, thickened with sweet potato and finished with a handful of pumpkin seeds.