Mulligatawny : I Can Make My Own Soup
Mulligatawny is a smooth and creamy curry soup recipe that will keep everyone going back for more. This Indian cuisine is spiced with curry and garam masala, with the perfect hints of heat from the red jalapeño with a touch of sweetness from the apple. You can’t eat this soup standing up, you’re knees will buckle!
Seinfeld is a bit of a tradition in my house. When I was a kid, I can remember my dad, every night at 6 o’clock, sitting down to watch two episodes back-to-back. This went on for so long that by the time I was a teenager, I’d seen every episode of this tv show at least three times. Now that I’m an adult with my own family, the Seinfeld tradition continues, with me quoting all the lines and laughing just as hard as I did the first time. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David pretty much wrote the background noise of my life.
My favorite character is Costanza, but I’ll find a way to insert any character’s dialogue into every day conversation 🙂
And perhaps the most iconic and most quotable episode of the entire tv series – The Soup Nazi. Even people who have never seen the show have probably heard, or even said, the line “No soup for you!”. And heavily featured in that fan-favorite episode? Mulligatawny.
What is mulligatawny soup made of?
Mulligatawny is a curry-based chicken soup, usually made with chicken stock, red lentils, coconut milk, apples, curry powder, chicken thighs, and can be served over brown rice.
What do I need to make Mulligatawny?
Mulligatawny has a lot of ingredients, but most are standard spices and vegetables that you’ll already have in your cupboard – you don’t need to go to New York City for delicious soup.
- Onion, carrot, and red jalapeño – these are the vegetables I use in my soup. The jalapeño is optional if you do not want the additional heat. This soup would still be plenty flavorful with all the spices.
- Minced garlic and minced ginger
- An apple – this might seem like an unexpected ingredient for soup, but trust me, you do NOT want to leave this out. I used a more tart Granny Smith apple, but it added a sweetness to the soup to offset all the spices, and the heat from the red jalapeño. I even left some apple chunks whole for that lovely crunch.
- Diced tomato – one 14.5oz can will do it.
- Spices – so many spices! Curry powder, garam masala, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, cardamom, dried thyme, and of course, salt and pepper.
- Red lentils and coconut milk are perfect thickeners for this soup.
- Chicken stock and chicken thighs – you can leave out the chicken and replace with vegetable stock for a vegetarian dish. I chose not to use chicken when cooking, and it is tasty and filling either way.
- Butter or olive oil.
- And for the topping – cilantro, green onions, and yogurt or sour cream.
- A big soup pot – you will want leftovers of this!
How do I make this soup?
This is a super easy one-pot recipe!
Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large sauce pan. Once melted, add in the onion, jalapeño, and carrot and cook until soft.
Add garlic, ginger, apples, and tomatoes, then cook until soft.
Add in the spices and toss.
Pour in the chicken stock, then add chicken and red lentils.
At this point, you want to bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, undisturbed. After the 30 minutes, remove the chicken pieces from the pot and shred or dice.
Using an immersion blender, puree most of the soup, leaving some chunks for texture. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can do this in batches in a real blender, or leave out this step all together if you prefer a really chunky soup.
When the soup is blended (or not blended) to your preferences, you can return the shredded chicken to the pot, and add in the coconut milk. Mix it all together, then add some salt and pepper to taste.
Top with cilantro, green onions, and sour cream – this soup also pairs well with cashews.
There’s a reason this bold and spicy soup is Kramer’s favorite, and sparked one of the most iconic episodes of television in sitcom history. Let me know how this soup worked out for you in the comments section, or tell me your favorite Seinfeld episode!
Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny is a smooth and creamy soup recipe, spiced with curry and garam masala, with hints of heat from red jalapeño and a touch of sweetness from the apple.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 red jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 small apple
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken thighs, optional
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 13.5 fl oz can coconut milk
- cilantro, optional
- green onions, optional
- yogurt or sour cream, optional
- cashews, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat.
- Once butter is melted, add onion, carrot, and jalapeno and cook until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic, ginger, apples, and diced tomato. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add in spices and toss all ingredients together.
- Add in lentils, chicken thighs, and chicken broth. Turn up the heat and bring the entire mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium. Simmer for 30-35 minutes, uncovered.
- After the 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot and shred.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until preferred texture is achieved. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, and add in coconut milk. Mix everything together, then all salt and pepper to taste.
- Top the soup with cilantro, green onion, and plain yogurt or sour cream.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 gramsAmount Per Serving Unsaturated Fat 0g
For another easy dinner recipe, see my Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops!
