New-Style Mulligatawny Soup

This spicy rich, almost earthy soup is my way of cooking what Tamil people call milagu tannir, ‘pepper water’. Peppery it may be, but there is nothing watery about it. I have eaten this soup in many places during my travels in the East I like to cook it and serve it at home as a small first course, but it is ideal as a one-bowl lunch or supper with plain boiled rice. The rice can be served separately, or simply stirred into the soup. Unlike the usual dense flour-thickened soups, my version