Mulligatawny soup is an Indian-British fusion soup with a history that is as rich and complex as its taste. It gets its name from the Tamil words: milagu (black pepper) and tanni (water) but make no mistake; it’s far beyond a simple concoction of peppery water.
What you’ll actually get is a rich, wholesome chicken soup with a surprisingly deep, warming curry flavor. It’s a flavorbomb of a soup that puts the average chicken soup to shame.

It’s also a highly customizable dish. It can be vegan, vegetarian – or not. You can use rice or lentils. You can make it creamy by blending the vegetables or with the addition of flour, cream or even coconut milk.
Best of all, for such a satisfying, nutritious, and boldly delicious soup – it’s really easy to make. Just one pot and 40 minutes and you’ll have yourself a bowl of the soup that has been dubbed Batman’s favorite.
What is Mulligatawny Soup?
Mulligatawny soup always makes me think of the mid-levels in Central Hong Kong. There is a street there named Rednaxela Terrace, which seems a strange, exotic name until you realize that it’s just ‘Alexander’ spelt backwards.
The story goes that because Chinese was read right-to-left at the time, the clerk entrusted to transcribe the street name spelt ‘Alexander’ in the way he was used to: right-to-left. The result being the Rednaxela Terrace that still stands today as a reminder that what makes perfect sense in one culture doesn’t always translate to another.
Mulligatawny soup has a similar history. It is something that came from British minds but created by Indian hands. In this clash of cultures, though, it all has to do with how meals were served.
The British believed that dining should be done in courses and to not have a starter of soup was unthinkable. For the Indians, however, food was a social, communal dining experience. Big portions of everything served all together, with the dishes co-mingling with one another for everyone to blend, combine, and share until satisfied.
There was no concept of soup as a starter. So one had to be invented.
The roots of mulligatawny soup began with the British describing to South Indian cooks what constitutes a soup. The closest thing to that description in South Indian cuisine was rasam, a spicy-sweet-sour soup-like dish.
So the local cooks used rasam as the prototype for this soup that the British were demanding, then further watered it down to the consistency of a stock and added in vegetables. Then the British did what they do best – adding meat to Indian dishes. So chicken, beef, sometimes lamb, was added to make what we know as mulligatawny soup today.
Well, kind of…
Mulligatawny Soup Variations
Here’s the thing, though: What you think of when you think ‘mulligatawny soup’ can be pretty different from what I think of. That’s because there are as many versions to this soup as there are varieties of peppers (a lot).
There’s the mulligatawny soup that became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although I’ve never had the pleasure of tasting the ‘mulligatunny’ soup of yore, by the description, it sounds most similar to milagu rasam.
Then there’s the Heinz mulligatawny soup, which uses beef and goes heavy on the tomatoes.
And if you loved Seinfeld, you might be more into The Soup Nazi’s version of mulligatawny soup, which gets a unique flavor from nuts and roasted peppers.
There are mulligatawny recipes that are vegetarian as well as ones that use chicken, beef, or lamb. Some use tomatoes, some don’t. Others use potatoes, others don’t. Some use cream, others use coconut milk, some use flour, others choose to blend the veggies for creaminess. Some recipes skip creaminess altogether, preferring a thinner, more broth-like soup.
I haven’t tried all variations out there but out of the ones I’ve tried, this recipe is the one that I’ve loved the most. It’s easy to make and most of the ingredients are easy to find in most countries. I’ve also added substitutions and alternatives below.
Mulligatawny Soup Ingredients
Here’s a quick snapshot of what you’ll need:
Ghee. I use ghee to sauté/sweat the vegetables for its deliciously nutty, buttery taste. If you don’t have ghee, use a 50/50 combination of butter and oil instead.
Chicken & chicken broth. I’m using homemade chicken broth – made from the leftover bones and carcass of a whole chicken tandoori roast – as well as chicken breast. Feel free to use store-bought chicken broth and breast or thigh meat.
Aromatics. The combination of garlic and ginger is a must – use fresh if you can.
Vegetables. I’m using yellow onion (but any variety – red, white, yellow, brown – will work as will shallots), carrots, and celery. You’re also welcome to use tomatoes, potatoes or even turnips.
Apples. Toward the end, we’ll be adding in a peeled and cubed tart apple to contribute a bit of sweetness.
Rice. I’m using white basmati rice. Feel free to substitute with lentils.
Spices. The only spices that are absolutely essential to this mulligatawny are curry powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. I also use about a teaspoon of garam masala powder for extra flavor, plus a pinch of thyme, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These are optional but highly recommended.
Cream. I love a bit of heavy cream (double cream if you’re in the UK) to counteract the spice and give the soup a rich creaminess. If you want to skip the cream, you can substitute it with a 1/2 cup of full-fat coconut milk. Or whisk together 1/2 cup of the chicken stock with 1 tbsp flour, mix well to get the lumps out, and then stir it into the soup to cook and thicken.
How to Make Mulligatawny Soup
Here’s the step-by-step process to making mulligatawny soup…
1. Soak the Rice

Pour water over a bowl of rice and let it sit while you get the soup started. This will allow the rice to cook more evenly and quickly.
2. Sauté the Veggies

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger. Sweat for about 5 minutes until softened.
3. Add Spices

Add salt, pepper, curry powder and mix to coat.
Optional but recommended to also add: garam masala, thyme, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add Chicken & Broth

Add the chicken, bay leaves and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil.
5. Cook the Chicken

Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
6. Cook Rice & Apples

Drain the soaked rice and wash until the water runs clear. Add the rice and apples to the pot.
Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
7. Shred the Chicken

While the rice is cooking, shred or slice the chicken into thin, bite-sized pieces once cooled.
8. Add Cream & Chicken

When rice is done cooking, add the cream and stir it in. Add the chicken and you’re done!
Note: If you don’t want to use cream, you can also substitute with:
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- OR 1/2 cup chicken broth with 1 tbsp flour – whisk well to get any lumps out, stir it into the soup, let cook for another 5 minutes
Top the mulligatawny soup with fresh cilantro, parsley, dill, or chives. Serve warm.

What to Do with Leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
You can technically store it in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 months. But because of the cream, the texture can be different. Just keep that in mind if you want to freeze it.

Mulligatawny Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp ginger, minced (about thumb sized nub of fresh ginger)
- 3 chicken breasts
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2.5 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon optional
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg optional
- ⅛ tsp thyme
- 1 tart green apple
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Start by soaking the rice. Just pour water over a bowl of rice and let it sit. This will allow the rice to cook more evenly and quickly.
- Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger. Sweat for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add salt, pepper, curry powder to the vegetables and mix to coat. It's optional but highly recommended to also add garam masala, thyme, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the chicken, bay leaves and chicken stock.
- Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
- Drain the soaked rice and wash until the water runs clear. Add the rice and apples to the pot.Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
- While the rice and apples are cooking, shred or slice the chicken into thin, bite-sized pieces once cooled.
- When rice and apples are done cooking, add the cream and stir it in. Add the chicken and you’re done!