Mulligatawny soup is one of the very popular soups from Tamil cuisine. The name of the soup is derived from the Tamil words milagu, which means pepper, and thanni, which means water. In simple words, we can call this Pepper Water or Pepper Rasam. This flavorful and creamy soup is a combination of colourful veggies, lentils, apple, coconut milk, and exotic spices. I have taken two types of lentils: moong dal (yellow lentil) and masoor dal (red lentil). You can take your favourite lentils; if you want, you can take only one type of lentil, and also take veggies of your choice.
India does not have an official “national soup”; however, Mulligatawny soup is widely recognized as the national soup of India. It is also known as a celebratory dish, and it is served as a special dish at weddings, parties, and get-togethers. It is also made on festive occasions. Traditionally, Mulligatawny soup is garnished with steamed rice. You can also serve the soup as an accompaniment with rice and applam for lunch or dinner. In fact, whenever you feel like having a light dinner and pampering yourself, you can make Mulligatawny soup and feel pampered as a celebratory.
The recipe is very simple and easy.
Ingredients for 5 to 6 servings
- 1tbsp peanut oil
- 1 pinch asafoetida
- 1 bay leaf
- 1” piece of cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp peppercorn
- ½” piece of ginger
- 1 green chilli (optional)
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp moong dal
- 2 tbsp masoor dal
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 small apple diced (red or green apple 🍏)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 1 medium-sized potato (diced)
- ½ cup diced pumpkin
- 2 tbsp coriander stems.
- 2 tomatoes
- Salt as per taste
- Lime juice as required
Ingredients for garnishing
- Cooked rice
- Fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp peanut oil, red chili powder and cumin seeds for tadka.
Procedure to make soup
- Take moong dal and masoor dal in a bowl, wash well, and soak them in sufficient water for ½ an hour.
- Now heat one tbsp oil in a pressure cooker, add peppercorns, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and saute for a few seconds.
- Now add ginger, green chili, moong dal, and masoor dal, roast it for 1 minute.
- Now add apple, pumpkin, carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, fresh coriander stem, ginger and green chili, saute for a minute.
- Now sprinkle asafoetida, turmeric powder, and garam masala powder, stir it properly.
- Now put 2 cups of water, mix well, and pressure cook it for 2 to 3 whistles.
- Let the cooker cool, open the lid, and blend the soup mixture in a mixer to a smooth puree. (At this stage, if you want, you can strain the soup through the soup strainer.)
- Transfer the puree to a pan, adjust the consistency by adding water, add salt, and boil it.
- Now mix ½ cup of soup with 3/4 cup coconut milk (this prevents curdling of coconut milk), pour this mixture into the soup, mix it properly, simmer for 2 minutes, switch off the flame, squeeze lime juice, and mix well.
- Transfer the soup to the serving bowl and garnish with cooked rice and fresh coriander leaves.
- For additional flavour, finish this soup with a tadka of lal mirch aur jeera. (red chili powder and cumin seeds)
- Flavourful and delicious Mulligatawny soup is ready to serve.
Piping-hot mulligatawny soup is best relished during the rainy season or chilly winter evenings.
