Nattu Kozhi Rasam, A Chicken Soup Recipe For Ultimate Comfort
Image Credit: Country chicken soup, Alamy

Are you craving chicken soup which isn't the same old recipes? Then you must look at a few meaty south Indian stews enriched with the goodness of traditional flavours. Most have been consumed as a homemade remedy to cure common cough and cold. Your search for such an indigenous chicken soup recipe can direct you to Nattu Kozhi Rasam, a comfort food of Tamil Nadu. Nattu kozhi translates to "country chicken," and rasam can be rendered as "soup." If you're sick, this rasam broth will do wonders to cure you. When you have the sniffles, this native chicken soup will make you feel better. Also, it's pretty simple to absorb. A traditional recipe calls for utilizing chicken bones with very little meat.

The steps in this recipe couldn't be more straightforward. Consequently, it is essential to prepare rasam powder from scratch. Naatu Kozhi Rasam's signature flavour comes from this non-vegetarian rasam powder. All the rasam powder ingredients should be toasted in a teaspoon of ghee. The roasted seeds are then crushed into a powder and added to the rasam. There are primarily three stages to making this chicken soup. They grind the spices for the rasam, boil the chicken bones for the stock, and season the finished product.

Ingredients

For Rasam Powder

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 3 dried red chillies

For Chicken Stock

  • 500 grams of country chicken bones with a slight meat
  • 150 grams of country chicken breast pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1-litre water

For Tempering

  • 1 teaspoon ghee
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 sprigs of curry leaves
  • 1 medium-sized onion, chopped
  • 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • 2 sprigs of coriander leaves

Country chicken rasam, Image Source: Revathi'sTamilKitchen@Youtube

Method

  • Heat ghee in a pan, and add all the ingredients under rasam powder:  black pepper, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chilli and coriander seeds.
  • Keeping the flame on low, roast them till they turn golden and release the aroma. 
  • Now take the pan off the flame and keep it aside to cool down
  • Once this rasam blend cools down, pour it into a grinder and grind it to a powder. Keep it aside.  
  • To prepare the broth, add the chicken bones and breast pieces to a pressure cooker. Season it with salt to taste and turmeric powder. Add 1 litre of water and put the pressure cooker on heat.
  • Close the lid, keep the flame high and cook the chicken for about 10 minutes. Turn off the flame. Let the cooker release the pressure on its own.
  • Open the pressure cooker's lid, take out the meat bones and transfer them to a bowl. Shred the meat from the bones. Throw the bones.
  • Heat a kadhai, pour ghee and as it smokes, introduce cumin seeds and curry leaves, stir for 20 seconds
  • Throw in the chopped onion and cook it down until it's translucent.  Include tomato chunks into the dish. Toss in some salt. Blend together thoroughly. Cook on low heat with the cover on until the tomatoes are soft and cooked through.
  • Incorporate the finely powdered rasam masala at this point. To blend, stir vigorously and cook for half a minute.  Stir the shredded chicken into the dish. Include some chicken stock. Pour the chicken stock and let the rasam boil for 3 to 4 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. 

To finish, season with black pepper and chopped coriander. Serve it hot! 

Try this Indian chicken soup recipe for its incredible flavour and taste. It is tangy, spicy, aromatic and comforting.