Mulligatawny Soup

I have a confession to make…..I am a soup addict; I know most people think of it as a winter food, but I have long been of the opinion that soup should be served on a daily basis whatever the weather. Obviously some soups are better than others, but I think I can honestly say that I've never met a soup I didn't like; I have a list as long as your arm of different recipes that I will one day get round to making and I’m gradually ploughing through them so watch this space.

I realise that vegetarian mulligatawny soup might seem like a contradiction in terms, but things become easier once you ignore the fact that it is vegetarian and just think of it as a nice flavoursome Mulligatawny. This was adapted from a long, convoluted recipe that originally included meat. I made so many changes and adaptations that I think I can safely call it my recipe now. It went very nicely with some fresh wholemeal bread.

250gm carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tin of tomatoes
100gm red lentils
1 lt vegetable stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

crème fraiche and a little coriander to serve


Soften the carrots and onion, without colouring, in the olive oil for 10 mins. Add the dried spices, garlic, tomatoes, lentils and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Blitz with a stick blender then stir in the chopped coriander. Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche and a few coriander leaves.
Serves 4 generously and also freezes well.