Mulligatawny Soup is a classic gluten-free, vegan, one-pot creamy soup. It has rice, pink lentil, vegetables, and my favorite coconut milk. All these ingredients make this instant pot lentil soup a perfect weeknight dinner.
Story of Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny has its roots in Tamil Nadu, India. The words ‘miḷagu’ means pepper, and ‘taṇṇi’ means water and that is how the soup got its name.
This spicy lentil soup recipe became widely popular among the British residents during the stay of East India Company.
The marriage between the two cuisines (Indian and British) gave birth to famous Anglo Indian Cuisine, which is inherently Indian dishes with an English twist. And mulligatawny is one of the beloved Ango Indian dishes.
Traditionally, mulligatawny was a vegetarian soup. It was made with lots of vegetables, lentils, and a dash of coconut milk to signify the southern coastal cuisine.
Today, this lentil soup sees many variations but the classic recipe remains a favorite.
Ingredients Required
One could start a debate over what actually tastes best in a mulligatawny.
Like many other soup recipes, everyone has a favorite way of making it, and I have mine. You can adapt this soup recipe or add some tweaks and make it your own.
Mulligatawny is one of those rare soup recipes that include both rice and lentils in it – it’s more of a lentil stew than soup in that regard.
Here are the ingredients required and their substitutes:
Pink or Red Lentil (Masoor Dal)
White Rice or brown rice
Ginger, Garlic, Celery, Onion
Apple – you can use any variety of apple tasting from slightly sour to sweet. Or tomato paste.
Carrot – you can use zucchini, green beans, potatoes, or peas
Curry Powder – if not available use red chili powder, and turmeric
Vegetable or Chicken Stock or 1 bouillon cube
Salt, Dried Oregano, Bay Leaf
Coconut Milk – you can replace it with any kind of nut milk
Olive Oil or use coconut oil
Step-By-Step Method
Mulligatawny takes less than 20 minutes to get cooked in an instant pot.
Can you imagine, serving a hearty, wholesome homemade lentil soup for dinner in 15 minutes?
Step 1) Rinse and soak the rice and lentil in a bowl for 10 – 15 minutes.
Step 2) Set instant pot to saute mode for 5 minutes. Next, add oil, bay leaf, ginger, garlic, celery, and onion. Saute for 1 minute or till the aroma of herbs is released.
Step 3) Add the carrots, tomato paste, soaked lentils, and rice without any water. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Step 4) Add vegetable stock, spices, and salt. Stir and seal the lid of the instant pot. Pressure Cook soup for 8 minutes in a high-pressure setting.
Step 5) Release the pressure manually. Add coconut milk, black pepper, and coriander. Stir and serve.
FAQ’s Related To Lentil Soup
Can I add chicken to the lentil soup?
Yes, you can add boneless chicken thighs or breasts while pressure cooking the soup. Before serving, remove the cooked chicken shred it using a fork, and mix in the soup.
Can I cook lentil soup on a stovetop?
Yes, you can. Cooking time will be around 30 minutes as lentils and rice take time to get cooked. You can use Indian pressure cooker as well to make this lentil soup.
Is lentil soup healthy?
Lentil Soup is a healthy, wholesome, fulfilling soup with only 290 calories per serving. It has vegan protein, carbohydrates, veggies, and fiber. Making it a perfect low-calorie dinner.
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Instant Pot Mulligatawny Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup pink lentil (masoor dal)
- ¼ Cup white rice
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped celery
- ½ Cup chopped onion
- ½ Cup finely chopped carrot
- ¼ Cup finely chopped apple (remove the skin and seeds) or tomato paste
- 3 Cup vegetable stock or broth
- 1 Cup coconut milk
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (see recipe)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
Prep Work For Soup:
- Start with preparing and chopping all the vegetables. Set aside.
- Rinse and soak the rice and lentil in two separate bowls in 1 cup of water each for 10 – 15 minutes.
Instant Pot Lentil Soup:
- Set instant pot to saute mode for 5 minutes. Next, add oil, bay leaf, ginger, garlic, celery, and onion. Saute for a minute or till the aroma of herbs is released.
- Add the diced carrots, soaked lentil, and rice without any water. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Add vegetable stock, spices, and salt. Stir and seal the lid of the instant pot. Pressure Cook soup for 8 minutes in a high-pressure setting.
- After 8 minutes, release the steam manually and open the lid of the instant pot.
- Add coconut milk, black pepper, and coriander. Stir and gently mash the soup using the ladle. You can simmer the soup in Saute mode for 5 minutes after adding coconut milk.
- Drizzle lemon juice. Serve Mulligatawny Soup warm.
Recipe Notes:
- You can make this lentil soup on a stovetop as well. It usually takes 30 – 40 minutes on a stovetop.
- One can add diced potatoes, zucchini, green peas, or shredded chicken in this lentil soup.
- For tartness, you can either use apples, chopped tomatoes, or tomato paste.
- If after cooking soup seems too thick, get the desired consistency by adding more coconut milk or vegetable broth/stock.
- Mulligatawny Soup is easy to reheat on a microwave or stovetop and can be stored in fridge for a week easily.
Nina says
Fantastic recipe, was a hit with my book club ladies. Recipe perfect as written.
My new go–to recipe – I’ve made this several times for the family. Thank you!
Hina Gujral says
I am so glad to know that. Thank you.
Jordan says
Super delicious! We made it on the stovetop and boiled the soup until the rice and lentils were cooked. It was perfect. Thank you!
Hina Gujral says
I am so glad it came out well on the stovetop too. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us.
Laurie Morgan says
Delicious!! Quite a bit of prep but very simple once you put it together. Smmoth and creamy. We really enjoyed this soup. Thanks for posting the recipe!
Hina Gujral says
Thank you for your valuable feedback. I am so glad you like it!
Tricia says
This soup is delicious! I doubled the recipe (same cook time in IP) and added the meat from one rotisserie chicken.
Hina Gujral says
I too make it sometimes with shredded chicken. So happy you like it. Thanks for your feedback.
Alaina Locke says
We made this, and it was amazing! We’ve recently gone vegan and this will definitely be a recipe that we will make over and over! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Hina Gujral says
Thank you for taking the time out and sharing your feedback. This is a fantastic instant pot recipe if you are a vegan or following a GF diet.
Joleen W says
This soup was quick and easy and very delicious. It helps to chop the vegetables first and have everything ready before starting to cook. The only problem I had was that the coconut milk curdled a bit. Not sure how to prevent that.
Hina Gujral says
Usually curdling of coconut milk doesn’t happen. IN case, it does, try adding salt once the soup is cooked. It might help.
Sherri H says
Wow! I am stymied by the Instant Pot and thought I’d give it another shot, and this was the recipe I chose. It was delicious! Husband had two bowlfuls, and my daughter, who is picky about legume textures, also liked it. I might try making it on the stove where I’m back in my comfort zone. ????
Hina Gujral says
I am so glad your family loved this soup. Ohh yes, you can try making it in a heavy-duty casserole on the stovetop.
Mick says
The serving size can’t be changed on the print screen, I would like to make the serving size 8, do I just double the ingredients?
By the way the Mulligatawny Soup was perfect, just need to make more of it.
Thank you,
Mick
Hina Gujral says
I am so sorry for this technical glitch. So you have to first increase the serving size to 8 and then press the print option. In this recipe, doubling the ingredients also works. I am glad you liked it.