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–+ servings
Amrita de Soyza

Lentil & Bacon Mulligatawny

This is a recreation of a mulligatawny from my youth, lost in the mists of time. It was a crowd favorite then and it is a crowd favorite now in its resurrected form. It is warm and hearty, ideal for a cold evening - but it also works in the middle of summer. Bacon makes everything taste better. However, if you do not want to use bacon the soup can be made with beef, chicken, or turkey. It is a simple recipe but the oh the taste! Enjoy - and please let me know if you liked it and any tweaks you make.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Time for lentils to cool 1 hour
Servings: 8 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Indian, South Asian - Sri Lankan
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

Lentils
  • 2 cups Red lentils (aka masoor lentils) Washed
  • 4 cups Water
  • 1 tsp Salt
Ground spices
  • 1 tbsp Corriander
  • 3 tsp Cumin
  • 2 tsp Black peppercorn
The soup base
  • 1/2 lb Bacon or Bacon cut ends cut into ½-inch squares Alternatively use ground beef or ground chicken/turkey.
  • 4 tbsp Oil Reserve 1 tsp to use only if needed
  • 1 Onion (medium) Chopped
  • 8 cloves Garlic Sliced thin
  • 3 cups Broth (vegetable) If using beef, chicken or turkey instead of bacon use 5 cups broth and omit the water
  • 2 cups Water If using beef, chicken or turkey omit the water and use only broth.
  • Salt to taste
Garnish
  • 1 tbsp Fried onions per bowl of soup
  • 2 fruits Lime or lemon Sliced into quarters

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Medium pot with lid to cook lentils
  • Large pot with lid to cook Soup

Method
 

Cook the lentils & blend
  1. Wash (rinse) the lentils until the water is clear.
  2. Put in pot with 1 teaspoon salt and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to simmer (medium low) and cover. Watch to ensure water does not boil over - open the lid slightly if water starts to boil over.
  3. Simmer until water evaporates below surface of the lentils. Lentils should be a lighter color, translucent and soft. If lentils remain hard add more water and bring back to a simmer until soft. Do not allow lentils to become mushy and disintegrate.
  4. When lentils are soft allow to cool, then place in a blender with any remaining water in the pot. Add water so it comes up at least ⅓ of the way to the top of the lentils.
  5. Pulse blend until lentils are broken down. Set aside.
Make the Spice Mix
  1. Grind the corriander, cumin and black pepper until medium fine (does not have to be a fine powder)
Make the Base
  1. Add the oil to the soup pot and heat on medium-high Add the onions and bacon and fry till the onions start to brown.
  2. Add the spice mix to the onion & bacon, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook through - about 5 minutes. If the mix gets dry add a little more oil.
Assemble the Soup
  1. Add the cooked lentils to the soup base and stir. Add the broth and water to the mix, stir and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Add salt to taste, if needed (the bacon will add saltiness)
Serve the Soup
  1. Ladle the soup into serving bowls
  2. Place some fried onions on top, and a quarter lime on the side for guest to squeeze onto the soup as desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!