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Mulligatawny Soup is a creamy, curry soup with Indian flavors. This soul-warming soup has a smoky-sweet flavor with chicken, rice, golden raisins, carrots, and apples spiced with curry and thyme.
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Mulligatawny Soup has a huge profile of flavor. This soup is sweet, savory, and creamy all at once. It is my new favorite comfort food! This dish is filled with unusual (yet amazing) ingredients such as carrots, apples, and raisins. All of the sweetness is offset by savory chunks of chicken and the smoky flavor of curry.
Ingredients in Mulligatawny Soup
- Carrots and Onions – Carrots and onions get sautéed in butter to make up the flavor base for this soup.
- Curry Powder – Curry powder is a blend of spices including turmeric, ginger, coriander, cumin, and mustard seed. The main spice is turmeric, which gives it that famous bright yellow color. While curry powder is often used in conjunction with hot, peppery spices, the curry itself is not spicy. This Mulligatawny Soup, for example, has zero spice, so it is perfect for kids as well as adults who don’t love spice.
- Flour – The recipe calls for a few teaspoons of flour to help thicken the soup. However, if you are gluten intolerant, there are a few simple substitutions you can do. Firstly, you can opt to simply leave it out completely and just be sure to use heavy cream (not half and half). The cream will keep the soup thick. For other recommendations see our list of variations below.
- Chicken Broth – Chicken broth makes up the bulk of the broth for this soup.
- Green Apple – I think granny smith apples have the best flavor for this soup.
- Cooked Chicken – Use any chicken you have on hand. Shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken breast, leftover grilled chicken, etc.
- White Rice – Put uncooked rice directly into the soup and it cooks with the soup.
- Golden Raisins – The golden raisins plump right up in the soup and make for the perfect juicy bite every time. Golden raisins are typically right next to regular raisins in the grocery store.
- Thyme – Just a pinch of thyme adds delicious herby flavor to this soup.
- Coconut Milk – Full-fat coconut milk gives this soup its irresistible creamy texture and flavor.
Variations
- Serve this Mulligatawny Soup with naan bread and a side salad for a delicious dinner.
- Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts.
- Sauté a few minced garlic cloves with the carrots and onion for added flavor.
- Add two bay leaves during the first simmer, remove before serving.
- Instead of coconut milk, use heavy cream or half and half.
- Add celery in with the carrots and onions for more veggies.
- Use shrimp instead of chicken for a seafood mulligatawny.
- Use basmati rice or jasmine rice instead of white rice.
- Add some spice with a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Instead of using flour as a thickener, use arrowroot or potato starch (not cornstarch). However, instead of adding it at the first of the recipe, wait until the soup is done. If you feel you would like it thicker, follow the directions on the package for thickening soups. I would suggest mixing 1 tsp arrowroot with 2 tsp cold water together and adding it to the soup.
Recipe Tip
I love this recipe so much, I always make a double batch. Then, I freeze half into individual portion sizes. That way I can stick one in the microwave and heat it up to enjoy Mulligatawny Soup any time the craving hits, which is often.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mulligatawny Soup
Most mulligatawny soup recipes contain meat, but you can easily make this recipe vegetarian by removing the chicken and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
The word mulligatawny combines two words in the Tamil language to mean “pepper water”. It was created because British soldiers in India wanted soup with their meals, but soup was not common in Indian cuisine. The original recipe was a watered down pepper stew. The modern recipe doesn’t contain peppers, but the name stuck!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The soup will thicken when cooled, but you can thin it with chicken broth or coconut milk when reheating.
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Mulligatawny Soup
Video
Equipment
- large pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion about ½ of a medium onion
- 2 large carrots shredded
- 3 teaspoons flour
- 4 teaspoons curry powder
- 8 cups chicken broth 2 large cartons
- 1 granny smith apple peeled and diced
- 2 pounds cooked chicken cubed very small or shredded
- 3/4 cup white rice
- 1 cup golden raisins
- salt and pepper
- two pinches dried thyme
- 1 cup coconut milk full fat (or heavy cream)
Instructions
- Saute the onion and shredded carrots in the butter over medium high heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add flour and curry and cook five more minutes.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Add chicken, apple, rice, raisins, thyme, salt, and pepper to the soup.
- Cover and simmer for 20 more minutes until the rice is done. When there is about 2 minutes left, stir in the coconut milk (or cream).
Notes
- We have updated this recipe, however we know some people will want the original recipe. The original recipe included only 3 teaspoons of curry powder, ¾ cup of golden raisins, and heavy cream instead of coconut milk.
- Instead of using flour as a thickener, use arrowroot or potato starch (not cornstarch). However, instead of adding it at the first of the recipe, wait until the soup is done. If you feel you would like it thicker, follow the directions on the package for thickening soups. I would suggest mixing 1 tsp arrowroot with 2 tsp cold water together and adding it to the soup.
- Serve with naan bread and a side salad for a delicious dinner.
I’ve been making this soup since 2017. People gush over this soup. I also double it – it freezes and refrigerates beautifully. Like many soups, this tastes even better the next day!
So glad you like this recipe, especially now with the colder weather this soup hits the spot!
Even my 3 year old likes this soup. And I love it! It’s in my “favorite recipes” bookmark. It makes so much. I love how I have enough for lunch and dinner the next day!
This soup is a winner! I had to have a second bowl, it’s so delicious!