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Indian · British

Mulligatawny soup

Non-vegetarian

The Anglo-Indian curried soup: chicken, red lentils, onion, carrot and apple simmered with curry spices and stock, partly blended and enriched with coconut milk.

Mulligatawny soup is an Indian soup, ready in about 55 minutes and made with curry powder, chicken thigh and red lentils. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Mulligatawny soup: golden curried soup with chicken, tomatoes and herbs in a bowl
Photo: Miansari66 / Wikimedia Commons · CC0-1.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
40 min
Total
55 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
477

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a large pot and cook the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab) and celery (opens in a new tab) until soft. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ginger and curry powder (opens in a new tab) and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the chicken and stir to coat in the spices, then add the lentils, apple (opens in a new tab), stock and salt. Bring to the boil, skim, and simmer partly covered until the lentils have collapsed.

    • 25 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Simmer until the chicken is cooked through (74 °C); wash hands after handling raw chicken.

  3. Step 3

    Lift out the chicken pieces. Blend the soup until smooth (or leave it a little rustic), then return the chicken.

    Food safety: Blend hot liquids in batches with the lid vented.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and heat through without boiling. Add lemon juice (opens in a new tab), check the salt, and serve with coriander and a spoon of rice in each bowl.

    • 3 min
    • low heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Anglo-Indian (Madras / Chennai), India · Well documentedAn Anglo-Indian dish developed from South Indian pepper-water; later popular in Britain.Also popular in United KingdomMore food from India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered, Blended
Taste
aromatic / warmly spiced, creamy, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), sweet & savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focusedWith the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Curry powder · Chicken thigh · Red lentils · Butter · Onion · Carrot
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • May contain: Mustardfrom curry powder
  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery, curry powder, chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

477 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 571 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 26%
  • Carbohydrate 34%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy477 kcal84 kcal
Protein32 g5.6 g
Carbohydrate41.5 g7.3 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat21.4 g3.7 g
Saturated fat13.1 g2.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol94 mg16 mg
Sodium852 mg149 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1011 mg
Calcium
73 mg
Iron
5.5 mg
Magnesium
85 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
163 µg
Vitamin C
9 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
92 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves, basmati rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A sharp, tart apple balances the curry spices best.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling after adding coconut milk can make it split.

Serve with

  • A complete meal with rice in the bowl; add a wedge of lemon at the table.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen (freeze before adding rice).

Reheating

  • Reheat gently, thinning with stock or water.

History

The name comes from the Tamil words for 'pepper water' (milagu thanni). The soup took shape in Anglo-Indian kitchens during British rule and was later adopted in Britain.

Confidence: Well documented

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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