Cure your Cold Chicken Rasam

There is nothing better when you are sick than a huge pot of hot and spicy soup. My favorite soup when I'm sick (and even when I'm not) is from *drumroll*....Qdoba! If you have never tried a bowl of their tortilla soup, then you are really missing out. Today is my mom's birthday, but she also happens to be sick, so we had to cancel the dinner reservations and opt for something homemade. I decided to make her an Indian version of chicken tortilla soup: Chicken rasam. It not only happens to be tasty but also 100% guaranteed to clear your sinuses. 

(Serves 5-6) ; Prep time: 15 mins; Total time: 1.5 hours

What you need: 

For the soup:

1. Cornish game hen - or ~3/4 lb of any type of chicken breast etc.
2. Shallots - 15, diced and 4 whole (Can substitute 2 medium onions)
3. Tomato - 1 diced and one cut into circles
4. Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp
5. Ginger - 2 inch piece, whole
6. Bay leaf - 1, whole
7. Kosher Salt - 1/2 tsp
8. Chicken broth - half of a box
9. Water - 4 cups 
10. Turmeric - 1 tsp
11. Curry leaves - 8-9 
12. Cumin whole - 1 tsp
13. Black mustard seeds - 1 tsp
    
14. Limes - 2, cut into wedges 
15. Cilantro (optional) - to garnish
16. Oil

 For the masala: you COULD substitute pre-packaged rasam powder for the whole spices

1. Cumin - 2 tsp, whole
2. Peppercorns - 2 tsp (white and black), whole
3. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp, whole
4. Coriander seeds - 2 tsp, whole
5. Red chillies - 2, whole (depends on how spicy they are)
6. Garlic - 5
7. Shallots - 4 or 1/2 an onion

1. Gather all your spices together.

2. Wash your chicken and cut into 3-4 pieces and cut your tomatoes/onions.

3. In a large stockpot, heat up some olive oil and saute the diced onions and tomatoes until they are soft. Then, add the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.

4. Add the cayenne to the chicken and sear in a large cast iron pan on high heat until browned on both sides. Toss the chicken along with the tomato circles in the pot.

5. Roast your whole spices on medium-low heat for 10 seconds and then roast the onions/garlic/chilli pods for a few minutes. Grind the whole spices first and then add the roasted onions, chilli pods and garlic.

6. Once the soup and chicken mixture is boiling, turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer covered for ~1 hour.

7. After 1 hour, fish out the chicken, bay leaf and ginger. Shred the chicken and toss out the bones/ginger/bay leaf.

8.  In a small pan, heat up some vegetable oil on medium-high heat and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds, turmeric, cumin seeds and the curry leaves. As soon as the mustard seeds start popping, add the ground masala and cook for 1-2 minutes.

9. Add the masala with the oil to the soup pot and let it simmer uncovered for another 15-20 minutes. Taste for salt/spice and adjust as necessary.

10. Done! Squeeze a wedge of lime and enjoy!