Vegan Mulligatawny Soup Recipe

Last updated on September 3rd, 2021 at 01:05 am

There’s nothing better than a delicious bowl of soup–either hot or cold. What a delightful way to fill up our bellies with maximum nutrition and with minimum effort. In fact, there is nothing better on a hot summer evening than a bowl of cold soup served with lavishly-buttered toasted bread. And, in the fall and winter, soup is the ultimate comfort food.

Today, I want to share a recipe for vegan mulligatawny soup, something many of you may not have tried before. When I hear “mulligatawny,” the first thing that comes to my mind is the famous “Soup Nazi” episode of Sienfeld, but mulligatawny’s been around a lot longer than that. If you don’t know anything about this soup, here’s a little history (via Wikipedia). Mulligatawny originated from South Indian cuisine, and was popular with the British who colonized India at the end of the 18th century, with the British adding meat to their version. There were and still are several variations of this traditional curry soup.  

Depending on what you add to your soup, you can keep it vegan, or add a dollop of sour cream before serving to cut down the spiciness. If you’d like a more traditional Indian taste, you can add half a teaspoon of red chili powder to the recipe. If you like more heat, add ½ teaspoon of black peppercorns to the spice bag, when boiling the peas/dal to make it a bit spicier.

A spice bag is used in this dish to flavor it with aromatic spices without increasing its heat. If you haven’t cooked with a spice bag before, it’s not difficult. The instructions are in the recipe below. With plenty of Indian spices used in this recipe, including ginger, garlic, clove, cardamom, cumin, and turmeric, your kitchen will be filled with a lovely aroma while your mulligatawny is cooking. I suggest using a stainless steel pot since it’s best suited for cooking at high temperatures.

The mix of lentils and veggies boiled together will create a flavorful and creamy soup. I hope you’ll try this very nutritious and tasty soup that’s good for your mind, body, and soul!

Note: If you don’t see split pigeon peas or toor dal in your regular grocery store, check Whole Foods or Amazon.

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Mulligatawny Soup (Vegan)

Ingredients

• ½ cup split pigeon pea or toor dal rinsed and drained
• ½ cup cooked rice
• ½ teaspoon ginger grated
• ½ teaspoon garlic grated
• ½ medium-sized onion chopped
• 1 medium-sized carrot chopped
• 1 small potato chopped
• ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¾ cup coconut milk or ½ cup sour cream
• ¾ tablespoon lemon juice or 1½ tablespoons tamarind pulp
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder optional
• Salt to taste

For spice bag:

• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-5 cloves
• 4-5 green cardamoms
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns optional

Instructions

1. In a hot stainless steel pot, add the peas, rice, and three cups of water. Let it come to a boil, and then simmer covered.

2. Make a spice bag with muslin or cheese cloth, then put the whole spices (coriander seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, green cardamoms, and black peppercorns) in it. Tie it up well, and add it to the simmering pot.
3. Simmer the soup (covered) until the peas are half cooked. Add more water, if required.
4. Remove the spice bag from the pan.
5. Stir in the ginger, garlic, onion, carrot, potato, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt.
6. Let the soup continue to simmer covered until the peas and veggies are cooked well.
7. Keeping the heat low, stir in the coconut milk, and mix well.
8. Bring the soup to a boil, then add the lemon juice.
9. The soup is ready to be served hot!

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