Recipe for Chicken Soup With Cracker Dumplings made with home made chicken stock and dumplings made with salt crackers. Recipe with step by step pictures.
Here is an ultimate chicken soup meal made with home made chicken stock and dumplings. This is my desi take on the matzo ball soup. Since I am in India, I have no way to source matzo meal and I am too lazy to make matzo from scratch. I used salt crackers for making the dumplings and it works superbly well. I also used ghee while making the dumplings instead of the traditional schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) – now, it may not be kosher too! All the purists – please forgive me. So that’s the reason I call this as Chicken Soup With Cracker Dumplings instead of matzo ball soup.
Chicken Stock First lets make a basic chicken stock. The ingredients in my chicken stock is really simple. I use chicken bones, water, salt and black peppercorn. That’s it. I do not add anything else while making the stock. Take a pressure cooker and add in everything and cook on a low simmer for one hour. Keep the flame at the lowest setting possible. Cook for a full one hour and ignore the number of whistles. Tip: Cook the stock in a big pressure cooker / pan so it does not spew while whistling. After the said one hour, remove the cooker from heat and wait for the pressure to settle manually. Open the cooker and remove any excess fat that may be floating on the top. Do not throw this fat out. Store the fat in the fridge. This can be used to make omelet, stir fry etc… Set aside. If there is very little fat, then do not bother. Just leave it in the stock.
The dumplings In the mean time, while the soup is cooking, lets make the dumplings. I have used plain crackers for making the dumplings. I have used nutri-choice crackers but you can use any kind of plain salt crackers you can get on hand.
Grind the crackers to a coarse powder in the mixie. We are looking at making around 1 cup cracker meal / powder. I used about 15 crackers.
Take a bowl and add in the ground cracker meal, salt, baking powder, red chilli flakes, Italian seasoning, ghee and eggs. The baking powder will make the dumplings light and fluffy. Mix everything to form a cohesive dough. The dough will be wet. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. The dough will become firm during the rest time.
After chilling the dough for 30 minutes, lets make small balls. Wet your hands in water and start making small balls about an inch in size. I like to keep the balls small as it will cook evenly when boiled in soup.
Keep the balls in a greased plate. Chill again until we are ready to use.
Get the prep ready. Chop the chicken breast into small cubes. Chop the carrots into small cubes. Finely chop the onions and garlic. Set aside.
Now lets make the soup!!! Heat oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped garlic, onions and carrots. Add in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Sauté for a minute. Click the link here to buy Italian seasoning online.
Add in the cubes of chicken and sauté for a minute more.
Strain the chicken stock directly onto the pan. Discard the bones.
When the stock is simmering, add in one stock cube and the dumplings. Add in the dumplings one by one so it does not stick to one another. Adding the stock cube is optional but it enhances the taste of the soup. Here is where you can buy stock cube online. I store my stock cubes in the freezer and it lasts for a long time in the freezer. Check for seasoning. Add salt if necessary. Remember that we have already salted the chicken stock and the stock cube is salty too!
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the soup on a low flame for 30 minutes. The dumplings will become big while cooking.
Chicken soup with dumplings is ready. Serve hot. This is a complete meal and you do not need anything else to accompany the soup. This soup is our current favorite at home.
For the chicken stock
500 grams chicken bones
1.5 litres water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
For the dumplings
1 cup cracker meal (ground)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 eggs
2 tablespoon ghee
For making the soup
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, cubed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
250 grams boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 stock cube
Chicken Stock First lets make a basic chicken stock. The ingredients in my chicken stock is really simple. I use chicken bones, water, salt and black peppercorn. That’s it. I do not add anything else while making the stock. Take a pressure cooker and add in everything and cook on a low simmer for one hour. Keep the flame at the lowest setting possible. Cook for a full one hour and ignore the number of whistles. After the said one hour, remove the cooker from heat and wait for the pressure to settle manually. Open the cooker and remove any excess fat that may be floating on the top. Set aside.
The dumplings In the mean time, while the soup is cooking, lets make the dumplings. I have used plain crackers for making the dumplings. Grind the crackers to a coarse powder in the mixie. We are looking at making around 1 cup cracker meal / powder. I used about 15 crackers. Take a bowl and add in the ground cracker meal, salt, baking powder, red chilli flakes, Italian seasoning, ghee and eggs. The baking powder will make the dumplings light and fluffy. Mix everything to form a cohesive dough. The dough will be wet. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. The dough will become firm during the rest time. After chilling the dough for 30 minutes, make small balls. Wet your hands in water and start making small balls about an inch in size. I like to keep the balls small as it will cook evenly when boiled in soup. Keep the balls in a greased plate. Chill again until we are ready to use.
The Soup
Heat oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped garlic, onions and carrots. Add in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Sauté for a minute. Add in the cubes of chicken and sauté for a minute more. Strain the chicken stock directly onto the pan. Discard the bones. When the stock is simmering, add in one stock cube and the dumplings. Add in the dumplings one by one so it does not stick to one another.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the soup on a low flame for 30 minutes. The dumplings will become big while cooking. Chicken soup with dumplings is ready. Serve hot. This is a complete meal and you do not need anything else to accompany the soup. This soup is our current favorite at home.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 2h
For the chicken stock
500 grams chicken bones
1.5 litres water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorn
For the dumplings
1 cup cracker meal (ground)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 eggs
2 tablespoon ghee
For making the soup
2 teaspoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrots, cubed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
250 grams boneless chicken breast, cubed
1 stock cube
Chicken Stock First lets make a basic chicken stock. The ingredients in my chicken stock is really simple. I use chicken bones, water, salt and black peppercorn. That’s it. I do not add anything else while making the stock. Take a pressure cooker and add in everything and cook on a low simmer for one hour. Keep the flame at the lowest setting possible. Cook for a full one hour and ignore the number of whistles. After the said one hour, remove the cooker from heat and wait for the pressure to settle manually. Open the cooker and remove any excess fat that may be floating on the top. Set aside.
The dumplings In the mean time, while the soup is cooking, lets make the dumplings. I have used plain crackers for making the dumplings. Grind the crackers to a coarse powder in the mixie. We are looking at making around 1 cup cracker meal / powder. I used about 15 crackers. Take a bowl and add in the ground cracker meal, salt, baking powder, red chilli flakes, Italian seasoning, ghee and eggs. The baking powder will make the dumplings light and fluffy. Mix everything to form a cohesive dough. The dough will be wet. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. The dough will become firm during the rest time. After chilling the dough for 30 minutes, make small balls. Wet your hands in water and start making small balls about an inch in size. I like to keep the balls small as it will cook evenly when boiled in soup. Keep the balls in a greased plate. Chill again until we are ready to use.
The Soup
Heat oil in a pan and add in the finely chopped garlic, onions and carrots. Add in a teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Sauté for a minute. Add in the cubes of chicken and sauté for a minute more. Strain the chicken stock directly onto the pan. Discard the bones. When the stock is simmering, add in one stock cube and the dumplings. Add in the dumplings one by one so it does not stick to one another.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the soup on a low flame for 30 minutes. The dumplings will become big while cooking. Chicken soup with dumplings is ready. Serve hot. This is a complete meal and you do not need anything else to accompany the soup. This soup is our current favorite at home.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 2h
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/chicken-soup-with-dumplings/
Recipe for Varutharacha Mutta Curry – Roasted Coconut Egg Curry recipe. Egg curry made with roasted coconut masala and spices. Egg curry recipe with step by step pictures.
Egg curry in any form is welcome at our home. We all love eggs and this Varutharacha Mutta Curry – Roasted Coconut Egg Curry Recipe is an excellent curry that goes well with idli and appam. Idli Recipe Kerala Style Appam Recipe
Here is how to make Varutharacha Mutta Curry – Roasted Coconut Egg Curry Recipe We will first make a roasted coconut masala. This recipe is made with coconut oil. If you do not want to use coconut oil, you can substitute it with vegetable oil. Heat oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. Add in the garlic, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and chopped onions. Sauté for a few minutes till the onions are soft. Note: Do not add too much spices, garlic or ginger. It will over power the curry. A little goes a long way.
Add in the fresh shredded coconut and sauté till the coconut is nicely roasted and brown. Make sure to roast the coconut on a low flame so it does not burn. Getting the coconut nicely roasted is key to the recipe.
Once the coconut is nicely roasted and brown, add in the turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and red chilli powder. After adding the spice powders, switch off the flame. Sauté for a few seconds. Make sure not to burn the spices. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Transfer the mixture to the mixie and add in a cup of water. Grind everything to a very smooth paste. Set aside.
Making the Egg Curry Heat coconut oil in a kadai and add in mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add in the dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the sliced shallots. Sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add in the finely chopped tomatoes and salt. Also add a big pinch of sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the tomatoes on a medium flame until soft and mushy.
Add in the ground paste. Add 2 cups of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes on a medium flame.
After 15 minutes, add in the boiled eggs and let it simmer in the curry for a couple of minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove from flame.
Varutharacha Mutta Curry – Roasted Coconut Egg Curry Recipe is ready. Serve hot with Idli, Dosa or Appam.
For the roasted coconut masala
1 teaspoon coconut oil 1/2 inch piece cinnamon 2 cloves 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 5 cloves garlic 1/4 inch piece ginger 1 sprig curry leaves 2 green chillies 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup ) 1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1 teaspoon coriander powder 1 cup water
For the curry
4 Eggs 2 tablespoon coconut oil 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds 2 sprigs curry leaves 2 dried red chillies 5 Indian shallots, sambar onions, sliced 2 tomatoes, finely chopped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar 2 cups water 3 sprigs coriander leaves, finely chopped
Heat oil in a pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. Add in the garlic, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves and chopped onions. Sauté for a few minutes till the onions are soft. Add in the fresh shredded coconut and sauté till the coconut is nicely roasted and brown. Make sure to roast the coconut on a low flame so it does not burn. Once the coconut is nicely roasted and brown, add in the turmeric powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder and red chilli powder. After adding the spice powders, switch off the flame. Sauté for a few seconds. Make sure not to burn the spices. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Transfer the mixture to the mixie and add in a cup of water. Grind everything to a very smooth paste. Set aside.
Heat coconut oil in a kadai and add in mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add in the dried red chillies. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add in the sliced shallots. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Add in the finely chopped tomatoes and salt. Also add a big pinch of sugar. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the tomatoes on a medium flame until soft and mushy. Add in the ground paste. Add 2 cups of water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes on a medium flame. After 15 minutes, add in the boiled eggs and let it simmer in the curry for a couple of minutes. Add in the coriander leaves and remove from flame.
- Author: Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 40m
