Mulligatawny Soup

The famed Indian-influenced lentil soup.

By
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland: Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Sydney Oland
Sydney Oland lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where she develops recipes and owns and operates three businesses: a bean-to-bar chocolate company, an ice cream company, and a collective food production space. Previously, she wrote brunch and British food recipe columns for Serious Eats.
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Updated September 14, 2025
An overhead close-up of bright orange mulligatawny soup garnished with chile flake, fresh cilantro leaves, and a dab of yogurt.

Serious Eats / Sydney Oland

Why It Works

  • Toasting and then grinding whole spices, rather than adding pre-ground spices, adds more flavor and deepens the soup's complexity.
  • Adding both a sweet potato and an apple adds a balanced sweetness that complements the heat of the spices.
  • Simmering for an hour allows the lentils and vegetables to break down and thicken, while also integrating all of the soup's flavors.

Mulligatawny marries both British and Indian ingredients to form a soup that is a bit spicy, a bit sweet, and very satisfying. There are many versions of this popular soup; some contain rice, some coconut milk, others are vegetarian while some include meat. The important elements are spice, sweetness, and in my opinion, lentils.

To make my version of this Anglo-Indian dish, I focused on toasted spices and sweetness, which to me represent both cultures' palates. Many recipes add a dollop of mango chutney while this version uses both an apple and a sweet potato to get a more subtle sweet flavor. Toasting, then grinding whole spices gives this soup depth, while a tablespoon of curry powder rounds out the mixture to produce the marriage of sweet and savory that is popular in many Indian-influenced dishes throughout Britain.

February 2013

Recipe Details

Mulligatawny Soup Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 90 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 100 mins
Serves 4 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 pound (about 3 large) chicken thighs

  • 1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

  • 1 celery rib, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 tablespoon curry powder

  • 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)

  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated

  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

  • 1 apple, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

  • 1 plum tomato, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

  • 1/2 cup dry red lentils

  • 6 cups homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken broth, or water

  • Greek yogurt, to garnish

  • Finely chopped cilantro, to garnish

  • Red chile flakes, to garnish

Directions

  1. Place mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds in a skillet and toast over high heat until spices begin to smell toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and process until fine.

  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat until oil is shimmering. Season chicken thighs with salt and add to pot skin side down. Cook until skin is golden, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook until other side is also brown, about another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve.

  3. Add onion, carrot, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring often until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and toasted spices and stir until vegetables are evenly covered with spices. Add garlic, ginger, sweet potato, apple and plum tomato and stir to coat. Add lentils then return chicken thighs to pot. Cover with broth or water and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes and lentils are soft and soup has thickened, about 1 hour.

  4. Remove thighs from soup, shred meat and skin, then return to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve garnished with yogurt, cilantro, and red pepper flakes.

Special Equipment

Spice grinder, stock pot

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
593 Calories
29g Fat
44g Carbs
46g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 593
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 29g 37%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 155mg 52%
Sodium 599mg 26%
Total Carbohydrate 44g 16%
Dietary Fiber 8g 27%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 18mg 92%
Calcium 123mg 9%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 1306mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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