Chicken Pepper Rasam

Ingredients

• 200 g Chicken with bones (curry cut, cleaned and cut into small pieces)
• 6 Whole garlic (5-8 cloves)
• 2.5 tsp Black pepper (2-3 tsp)
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 tsp Whole coriander seeds
• 1 Dried red chilli
• Ginger (small piece)
• 10 ml Sesame oil
• 0.5 tsp Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves (mentioned in method)
• 2 Green chilli
• 10 Small onions (shallots, crushed)
• 2 Tomatoes (medium sized, cut)
• Salt (to taste)
• 0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 450 ml Water (400-500 ml)
• Coriander leaves (few sprigs with stem for cooking, plus chopped for garnish)

Steps

1. 1

   Clean the chicken and cut it into small, bite-sized pieces.

2. 2

   Using a mortar and pestle or a blender, crush the garlic, ginger, cumin (jeera), dried red chilli, black pepper, and whole coriander seeds together into a coarse spice mix.

3. 3

   Heat 10 ml of sesame oil in a pot. Once hot, add the mustard seeds and let them crackle.

4. 4

   Add the curry leaves and green chillies to the oil.

5. 5

   Add the crushed shallots (small onions) and sauté until they are cooked through.

6. 6

   Add the crushed spice mix prepared earlier and sauté until the raw aroma disappears and it becomes fragrant.

7. 7

   Add the cut tomatoes and sauté until they soften.

8. 8

   Add the chicken pieces to the pot and mix well to coat with the spices.

9. 9

   Season with salt, turmeric powder, and chilli powder. Sauté until the raw flavor of the powders disappears.

10. 10

    Pour in 400-500 ml of water and bring the mixture to a boil.

11. 11

    Add a sprig of coriander with the stem, cover the pot, and cook until the chicken is well done. This should take approximately 12-15 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces.

12. 12

    Finally, finish the dish by stirring in freshly chopped coriander leaves.

13. 13

    Serve the chicken pepper rasam hot as a soup or accompanied by steamed rice.

Notes

The cooking time for the chicken may vary based on the size of the cuts. Using chicken with bones is essential for the depth of flavor required for a traditional rasam.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• soup
• chicken
• rasam
• spicy
• South Indian
• comfort food