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My version of the famous mulligatawny soup is much quicker and simpler. Made with leftover roast chicken or turkey this soup is perfect to repurpose those leftovers!
If you love Indian flavours, check out my Butter Chicken Recipe and Red Lentil Dahl.
I’ve been enjoying my recently discovered love for soups and it’s been fun to experiment with flavours. Don’t get me wrong I’ve been cooking soups since I was a teenager. After all I grew up in a Russian family but I never learned to truly appreciate soups until adulthood.
That might be because as an adult I started exploring different flavours and cuisines, which led me to so many delicious soup recipes from all over the world. This mulligatawny soup is one of them.
Mulligatawny soup recipe
Although considered an Indian soup by many, mulligatawny soup is part Indian, part British. This sort of fusion cuisine is certainly not unheard of, with tikka masala as a particularly famous example. This one was invented by Indian cooks when the British kept requesting soup as the first course during the colonial rule.
Of course, soup is not traditional to Indian cuisine and mulligatawny was developed from something else entirely. Originally it was just a thin sauce served over rice but over time got bulked up with vegetables and meat to accommodate the British taste.
The result is a slightly creamy soup, surprising as there is no dairy to be found. What isn’t surprising is aromatic, complex and mildly spicy soup. It’s comforting, wholesome and an amazingly satisfying meal.
Ingredients
This soup can take a lot ingredients as long as it’s got the non-negotiables.
- red split lentils (moong dal)
- traditional Indian spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin and coriander
- meat stock
- rice
There are of course hundreds of recipes for this delicious soup. Many of them blend the soup once it cooked and serve it over rice.
My version however, keeps the mulligatawny soup chunky with rice added to it.
How to make it
As you can imagine any soup recipe will benefit greatly if you start with a delicious tasting stock, which takes hours to make. We don’t always have hours.
So to make it easier and quicker I developed this recipe using leftover roast chicken and ready made stock. Another shortcut I used is a scoop of a curry paste with all the spices blended for me already. Instant flavour without the fuss.
Using my quick mulligatawny soup recipe you can have a delicious and filling meal in 30 minutes. You can also use your leftover turkey or chicken in a recipe that tastes completely different from where it started!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Although the recipe calls for chicken breast, it also is a great use for leftover roast turkey and chicken.
- I keep frozen spinach around for recipes like this one. Just three cubes add a lot of colour and nutrition to the soup. Fresh spinach will also work and will add a beautifully vibrant green to the soup.
- Kale is another great option if you have some in the fridge.
- The same thing applies for any vegetables you might want to use up. Feel free to add them to the soup. Frugal and nutritious.
- Red lentils are commonly used for mulligatawny soup, but yellow lentils are a good substitute.
- Mulligatawny soup will become even more delicious on the following day but it might get too thick. In that case, just add a cup of chicken or vegetable stock to thin it out.
Serving suggestions
Some people add a dollop of plain yoghurt or cream to their bowl of mulligatawny soup but I prefer it without. I do enjoy adding a squeeze of lemon though, along with chopped parsley!
What I always add to a soup lunch is a hearty piece of chunky sourdough bread, although this recipe is perfect for flatbread or naan.
Storage and leftovers
Soup can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months, in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. This makes batch cooking a great option. Make some extra and keep it for whenever the urge for a warming soup hits you!
The rice in the soup has the tendency to soak up liquid as it sits, so you may need to add water or stock to keep it loose when reheating. Reheat by returning to a This is an affiliate link.saucepan and bringing to a boil, or in a microwave if a small amount.
More hearty soup recipes
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
- Restorative Beef and Cabbage Soup
- Chestnut and Squash Soup
- Harvest Minestrone
Mulligatawny Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, or ghee
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp prepared Indian curry paste, such as Madras Curry by Patak’s or similar
- 2 litres / 8cups This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 200g / 1 cup red split lentils
- 100g / 1/2 cup This is an affiliate link.basmati rice
- 2 chicken breasts or equivalent amount dark meat, cooked
- 3 cubes / 2/3 cup frozen spinach
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large soup pot and saute diced onion, carrot and celery over low heat for 5 minutes. The add minced garlic, grated ginger, the curry paste and cook for 30 seconds longer while stirring. Then add the chicken stock, red split lentils and rice, turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
- Once boiled cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Then add cooked chicken diced into bite-sized pieces and frozen spinach. (No need to defrost first.) Cook for 5 -7 minutes until the lentils and rice are soft. Then squeeze the lemon juice directly into the soup and season with salt to taste.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for my wife on valentines and we both loved it. We book marked it to mark it next valentines as well. Thank-you for this wonderful recipe!
Can I replace the curry paste with a dry curry spice blend, and still have the soup turn out delicious and flavourful? Trying to throw this soup together right now with ingredients I already have.
Hi Michelle, you can but the flavour will depend on the quality and freshness of your dry curry mix.
I love this recipe! I added more curry but that was to please the husband. I made some cucumber. raita and naan to finish the meal.
Your recipes are always so good and remind me of my Mid European Roots. Thank you!
This sounds so good. Can I make it ahead of time and freeze it?
Absolutely
All of the comments are true! I made this exactly as described with some leftover chicken that I was worried would be dry! This soup is absolutely bursting with delicious flavor!
can you cook this in a slowcooker?
I haven’t tested the slow cooker method, so cannot recommend.
Beautiful soup, packed with veggies and protein. I made it exactly as written, but doubled it to feed my imaginary large family. We do like leftovers, though. Thank you for the recipe.
Absolutely love this recipe. I substitute sweet potato for the chicken, as I am vegetarian. It is such a filling, tasty soup. Thank you!
I’ve made this twice in the past 2 days, and both times it’s been great. I’ve made a couple of subs this batch: bell pepper for the carrot, and garam masala powder. I also used beef stock- all I had in the house- scallions, a couple of radishes and some frozen peas. It’s so tasty and easy to make and makes your house smell amazing. Great for batch cooking/meal prep too. Thank you Julia!
My pleasure, Sophie! So glad you enjoyed it.
This was delicious and much easier to make than most recipes for mulligitany!
The ginger and lemon flavors were our fav, plus it’s filling. Great with some naan or toasted sour dough bread. Will be making again thank you for this recipe❤️
My pleasure, Christine. So pleased you enjoyed it!