Classic Indian Chicken Soup

This is the soup every Indian household makes when someone is under the weather or when winter bites hard. Bone-in chicken simmered low and slow with vegetables and simple spices produces a golden, nourishing broth that is the opposite of complicated. The bones release collagen as they cook, giving the soup body without any thickener. Ghee-fried onions with ginger-garlic paste form the flavour base, tomatoes add a gentle acidity, and fresh black pepper gives warmth that store-bought spice blends can't replicate.

The beauty of this soup is its adaptability. Use whatever vegetables are in season -- French beans, peas, or sweet corn work equally well alongside carrots and potatoes. The method stays the same: build the masala base, add chicken and water, simmer until everything is tender and the broth turns golden. Skim the foam in the first few minutes for a cleaner, clearer broth.

Serve this soup as a meal in itself with bread for dipping, or ladle it over plain rice for something more substantial. It keeps well for two days and actually tastes better the next day as the flavours deepen overnight. For a clearer broth, use boneless chicken and skip the potato -- but something is lost without the starchy body the potato adds.