Mulligatawny
This wonderful soup is served with cooked rice and is packed with nutrients. It is quite flavorful, and if people do not like spicy food, the amount of peppercorns can be reduced by half.
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1–2 cm piece of ginger root
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 red apple with skin
1 green apple with skin
1 stalk celery
2 carrots
1/2 butternut squash
2 cloves
50 g yellow lentils
100 g red lentils
2 tsp garam masala
1 liter water
pressure cook and then blend
1/2 tsp turmeric
200 ml coconut milk, reserve 50 ml
pinch of salt
Chili oil:
2 tbsp neutral oil
1/2 tbsp chili flakes
Cooked basmati rice to serve with the soup
Start by peeling and slicing the ginger and garlic. Roughly chop the onion.
Core the apples and cut them into chunks along with the other vegetables.
Then heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pot and add the peppercorns, ginger, onion, and garlic, letting it cook for 1 minute before adding the vegetables and lentils. Fry for 2–3 minutes, then season with garam masala, cloves, cardamom, and a pinch of cinnamon. Pour about one liter of water over the vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are completely soft (it is also possible to cook the soup in an instant pot).
When the vegetables are cooked, blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth and silky, and the peppercorns are well incorporated. Then add 150 ml of the coconut milk along with the turmeric and bring back to a boil.
To make the chili oil, heat the oil in a small pot and remove from the heat once it is hot. Add the chili flakes to the hot oil, making sure it does not sizzle too much, as the flakes may burn.
Use this oil to top each bowl of soup when serving, along with a little coconut milk. The soup is served with cooked basmati rice added into the soup.