This is a very famous Indian-born British recipe! mulligatawny soup origin originates from the Tamil words imillagai' (pepper) and 'Lanni' (water) and can be translated as 'pepper water'. One thing we do know, it's not strictly an Indian dish. It's actually based on an Indian dish that was changed into a vegetarian mulligatawny soup recipe to satiate fussy British soldiers during the Raj.
The British loved the vegetarian mulligatawny soup recipe concoction that their Tamil orderlies served them and this was soon adapted to suit the British palate. They carried it back with them to England and all their colonies, making it one of the most popular soups at colonial restaurants...
Wash and soak the dal in twice the amount of water for 1 hour.
Peel and dice the shallots.
Finely mince the ginger, garlic and green chilli.
Dice the potato, carrot, apple and red bell pepper into 1/2-inch dice.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the shallots to medium-hot oil. Sweat it over low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, green chilli and sauté till fragrant. Add all the spices, whole and powdered, and sauté for 3-4 minutes till the spices are also fragrant.
Add the soaked lentils, potato, apple, carrot, bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and tamarind pulp and simmer till all the vegetables and lentils are cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend the soup to a smooth puree. Return to the pan, add the coconut milk, fresh coriander leaves, lemon juice and mix well to finish the soup. Serve hot over a bed of cooked rice.
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 small apple
1 small carrot
1 green chilli
1 medium potato
1/2 red bell pepper
3-4 shallots
1 bay leaf
5-6 black peppercorns
1 green cardamom deseeded
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 2-inch piece of ginger
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 1/2 I vegetable_ stock
1 1/2 tbsp refined oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 sprigs fresh coriander leaves
1 cup cooked rice