Features of the preparation of traditional Georgian soup. TOP 5 recipes for chikhirtma. Video recipes.
Chikhirtma is a traditional Georgian soup, unlike other soups that are cooked in vegetable broth, it is prepared exclusively in meat broth. In addition, a large amount of greens is used, as well as some other ingredients that are not at all typical for soup.
Features of cooking chikhirtma soup
Chikhirtma soup is thick enough by its consistency. And all because during the cooking process, two dressings are introduced into it.
First, to thicken flour is added to the dish … As a rule, corn is used. If you just put it in the soup, you get a curd. Initially, the flour must be dissolved in boiled cold water, after which it must be poured into chikhirtma.
Secondly, when cooking, add a raw egg … Here, too, there are several secrets that you need to know for the correct preparation of chikhirtma. If you just add a raw egg to hot water, it will instantly curdle. Therefore, it is necessary to separate the yolks from the whites, beat them separately. Mix them already whipped and add a little vinegar. After that, the egg mixture must be whipped again.
Note! Vinegar can be replaced with lemon or pomegranate juice - it will turn out to be no less tasty. There are not many recipes for preparing a traditional Georgian dish. In order for your soup to turn out delicious with the correct thick consistency, you need to know some subtleties of how to cook chikhirtma. As for the broth, vegetables are not used at all for its preparation, broth should be meat … Of the meat, poultry is most often used - chicken or turkey.
Chikhirtma from chicken
- one of the most common recipes for this dish. The broth will be rich and flavorful if you use poultry.
Lamb meat
also perfect for preparing broth for chikhirtma. It takes much longer to cook than a poultry. On average, this will take about 2 hours. It is best to take a brisket or shoulder blade from meat. Pork or beef will not work in this case. The meat should not be fatty. All excess fat must be cut off, otherwise it will give the soup a greasy flavor.
Of the spices for this dish, both black and red ground peppers are perfect. Coriander and even cinnamon are also often added to chikhirtma. Thanks to this, the dish acquires an unusually tasty aroma that is not at all typical for a soup. Fresh spices are best added a few minutes before the meal is ready. But dried it is better to add a little earlier, about 15-20 minutes before cooking. They should dissolve well during this time.
A lot of greens are added to the ready-made chikhirtma in Georgian. They use cilantro, parsley, dill, basil, green onions and even mint.
Important! When preparing chikhirtma, cereals and pasta are not used. It is customary to serve the dish hot. It is poured in portions into deep bowls. Bread cakes or croutons are served with the Georgian soup chikhirtma.
TOP 5 chikhirtma recipes
It is better to cook Georgian soup in small portions. It is better to eat it hot, but you should not reheat it. First, the warmed-up soup will no longer be as tasty and aromatic. And secondly, when boiling, the egg may curdle. If you are already reheating the dish, do not bring it to a boil, then add more fresh herbs. We present to your attention the TOP-5 recipes for making chikhirtma.
Classic chicken chikhirtma
The classic chicken chikhirtma is quite simple to prepare. However, you need to know some subtleties. The soup is traditionally prepared in several stages. First you need to boil the broth. For its preparation, it is better to use chicken thighs, legs or wings. Chicken fillet can also be taken. But with meat on the bone, the broth will turn out to be more rich. We continue to cook the soup in pre-cooked meat broth, while gradually adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 118 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken thighs - 200 g
- Water - 2-3 l
- Chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- Cilantro to taste
- Lemon juice - 2 tsp
- Corn flour - 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Black peppercorns - to taste
- Bay leaf - 2-3 pcs.
Step by step preparation of the classic chikhirtma with chicken:
- First you need to boil the broth. Pour chicken thighs with 1 liter of water. Then bring to a boil. Then drain the water. Fill the chicken thighs with water again. It will take about 2 liters. For flavor, you can add bay leaves and black peppercorns. The broth should boil. Reduce heat slightly, then continue simmering for 40 minutes. After cooking, the bay leaf must be removed.
- Separate the whites from the yolks and beat them in different vessels. Then add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each of them. This is to prevent the eggs from curdling in the hot broth. Then mix the egg mixture in one bowl and whisk again.
- When the broth is already cooked, remove the meat from it and separate it from the bones. The meat must be cut into small pieces.
- Pour the broth into a glass and dilute the flour in it. Corn flour can be substituted with wheat flour. It is important that the broth is hot. The flour must be mixed until smooth so that there are no lumps left.
- Add already cut meat to the broth and continue to cook. Then pour in the flour diluted in broth in small portions. In this case, the soup must be stirred.
- Then pour in the egg mixture in a thin stream, stirring all the time. It is important not to bring the soup to a boil, otherwise the eggs will curl. Season the soup. Add black pepper.
- Chop the cilantro finely. Add it to the soup 5-7 minutes before cooking. Pour the soup in portions into deep bowls and serve hot.
Chikhirtma from lamb
Lamb chikhirtma is another popular recipe for this dish. The main ingredient is lamb. In this case, it is important to choose high quality fresh meat. To do this, first of all, you need to pay attention to the color of the fat. The meat of a young ram will have a light color. It should be soft and flexible enough to the touch. Distinctive features of old meat are rich bright color and sinewy. It is best to buy fresh meat, frozen will have a completely different taste and will lose its nutritional properties.
The lamb dish takes a little longer to cook than the chicken chikhirtma recipe suggests. The broth must be cooked for several hours to keep the meat soft enough. It should be used with 3-4 pieces per serving. For soup, it is better to take the neck or shank. It's important to know! If the meat is frozen, thaw it only in cold water. Ingredients:
- Lamb - 500 g
- Water - 2 l
- Wine vinegar - 4 tablespoons
- Wheat flour - 1 tablespoon
- Chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- Saffron - 1/2 tsp
- Cilantro to taste
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
Step-by-step preparation of lamb chikhirtma:
- First, you need to prepare the meat broth. Better to use fresh lamb. We pre-wash the meat under cold water. Cut into small pieces. Fill the lamb with 1.5-2 liters of water and cook the broth for 2 hours. A lot of foam will appear on the surface during cooking. It must be removed.
- After the time has elapsed, strain the broth through cheesecloth, add salt, pepper and saffron, put on the stove and continue to cook over low heat.
- Dilute wheat flour in a glass of water until smooth. Pour into broth in small portions.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat in separate bowls. Pour wine vinegar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Next, you need to mix the egg mixture, pour vinegar into it, beat everything well again. Pour a small stream into the broth. Mix well so that the eggs do not curl. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, while the broth should not boil.
- Already prepared soup must be poured into deep bowls. Chop the cilantro finely and add portions. Serve the soup hot. Garlic croutons are perfect for chikhirtma with lamb.
Chikhirtma from chicken and giblets
Another recipe for making chikhirtma. If you add chicken patrosh to a classic dish, your soup will turn out to be incredibly tasty and at the same time very satisfying. In this case, it is best to use chicken liver from chicken giblets. You can also take hearts or navels. Meat on the bone is best for making broth. In this case, it is important that the chicken giblets and broth are cooked at the same time. Thus, you will save time and the soup will turn out to be more rich.
Ingredients:
- Chicken legs - 300 g
- Chicken giblets - 300 g
- Water - 3 l
- Lemon juice - 2 tsp
- Corn flour - 3 tablespoons
- Chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- Cilantro to taste
- Parsley to taste
- Salt to taste
- Ground red pepper - to taste
Step-by-step preparation of chikhirtma from chicken and giblets:
- Rinse the chicken legs well. Cover with water, salt. Boil. Boil the broth for an hour.
- At the same time, rinse the giblets. Cover with cold water, add black peppercorns and bay leaves. Cook for about an hour.
- In the meantime, separate the whites from the yolks. Beat in different vessels, in each of which add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Thanks to its addition, eggs will not curdle in hot water. Lemon juice can be substituted for pomegranate juice or vinegar. Then combine the egg mixture and whisk everything together with a whisk.
- Remove the chicken legs from the ready-made broth. Pour 2 cups of broth into a small saucepan. Add cornmeal and stir until smooth.
- Separate the meat from the bones, cut into small pieces. Transfer to broth together with giblets. Put on the stove and cook for another 15 minutes over low heat. Add a little red pepper. Add flour mixture and beaten eggs in small portions. They must be poured in turn, in thin streams. In this case, the soup must be stirred well.
- Chop cilantro and parsley finely. Pour the soup in portions, add greens on top and serve.
Chikhirtma in Lezgi
Another unusual option for making Georgian soup. As you know, vegetables are not used for classic chikhirtma. The recipes are slightly different. Onions, tomatoes and a little potatoes are added to Lezgi chikhirtma. The soup is cooked in chicken broth. In this case, take a whole carcass of a small domestic chicken. Thus, the broth will be rich enough, and thanks to the addition of chicken eggs, it will have the correct consistency. No flour is added to this soup. It will not turn out as thick as the classic chikhirtma.
Ingredients:
- Chicken - 500-600 g
- Water - 3 l
- Bulb onions - 1 pc.
- Chicken eggs - 2 pcs.
- Pomegranate juice - 2 tablespoons
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Fresh cilantro to taste
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Bay leaf - 2 pcs.
- Black peppercorns - 4 pcs.
- Hard cheese - for decoration
Step-by-step preparation of Lezgi chikhirtma:
- First, you need to rinse and process the chicken carcass well. In this case, giblets are not needed, they can be boiled with broth, and then removed from the soup. Pour a whole chicken carcass with 3 liters of water, add bay leaves and black peppercorns. Salt. Bring the broth to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook for another 40 minutes.
- After the time has elapsed, the broth must be filtered through cheesecloth. Remove bay leaves and black peppercorns. Remove the chicken carcass from the broth, separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces.
- Meanwhile, cut the potatoes and tomatoes into small cubes. Finely chop the onion. All this must be added to the broth. Add black pepper. Cook the soup until tender.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks and beat in separate bowls. Add a tablespoon of pomegranate juice to each container. It can be replaced with lemon juice or vinegar. Mix everything and beat again.
- Pour the egg mixture into the ready-made soup. At the same time, stir the soup constantly with a wooden spoon.
- Grate the hard cheese on a large grater, finely chop the cilantro. Pour the soup in portions, garnish with hard cheese and fresh cilantro on top. Serve to the table.
Chikhirtma turkey
Turkey meat is perfect for cooking chikhirtma. As you know, it is low in calories and dietary. It contains the minimum amount of cholesterol. It is important to use fresh and high quality meat for cooking. When choosing a turkey, you should pay attention to the color of the meat. It should be light pink. At the same time, be dry and elastic. There should be no mucus on it. Don't take a big turkey. The older the bird, the greater its body weight. Old meat is not suitable for cooking. Even if boiled well, it will be tough and dry.
Ingredients:
- Turkey - 750 g
- Water - 1.5 l
- Egg yolks - 3 nib
- Wine vinegar - 2 tsp
- Cilantro greens to taste
- Fresh mint to taste
- Parsley to taste
- Celery to taste
- Black peppercorns - 8 pcs.
- Corn flour - 3 tsp
- Butter - for frying
- Bulb onions - 2 pcs.
Step by step preparation of turkey chikhirtma:
- Rinse the turkey under cold water. Cut into small pieces. Cover with water, add black peppercorns. Boil the meat well. This will take at least 2 hours.
- After the time has elapsed, remove the meat from the broth, separate from the bones. Pour one and a half cups of broth into a separate bowl. Cut into small cubes.
- Chop the onion. Fry everything in butter. In this case, vegetable oil can also be used, but it will be more aromatic on butter.
- Add everything to the broth. Continue to cook over low heat.
- Meanwhile, take half a glass of broth from the vessel, add corn flour. It can be replaced with wheat. Mix well and leave for 5-7 minutes.
- During this time, beat the egg yolks, add the broth remaining in the bowl to them. Add wine vinegar and mix well.
- Pour both mixtures into the ready-made soup in a thin stream. At the same time, stir with a wooden spoon. Finely chop the greens. Pour the soup in portions, decorate the top with different types of fresh herbs. Serve hot.
