KOREA

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Made by simmering chicken with ginseng, samgyetang is a Korean traditional health food that invigorates the body.

Ingredients

  • 500g whole young chicken

  • 50g glutinous rice

  • 1 root of fresh wet ginseng (not too big)

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 2 jujubes

  • 1 chestnut

  • 1 tbsp glutinous rice flour (opt.)

  • 10g green onion, pinch of salt and pepper

  • 2 to 3 ginkgo nuts (opt.) (While you may substitute young chicken with small-sized regular chicken, the meat may be tougher.)

Stock: 2 liters of water, 1 root milk vetch root, 3 whole bulbs garlic, 1 fresh ginger (20g), 50g radish, 30g green onion root (opt.)

Making

1. Soak glutinous rice in water for over 3 hours.

2. Wash and clean fresh wet ginseng with soft brush or sponge and cut off the head part. (It is best not to eat the head of the ginseng, because toxicity and internal heat properties are concentrated in this part of ginseng.)

3. Wash and clean garlic, jujubes, and peeled chestnut.

4. Fine chop green onion.

5. Wash and clean the stock ingredients. Put them in a pot of boiling water and cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes.

6. Remove internal organs and excess fat from young chicken, accessing this by the area under the stomach. Cut off chicken tail and wing tips then wash them. (Chicken tail and wing tips contain fat and blood, giving off a strong smell when boiled.)

7. Stuff the chicken cavity with jujubes, glutinous rice, garlic, and peeled chestnuts in the order listed. Criss-cross the legs of chicken to keep the stuffing in. (You can also bind the chicken legs with cooking thread.)

8. Put the chicken from 7 and the stock from 5 in a pot until the chicken is fully immersed. Boil with lid off on high heat for about 30 minutes. If stock decreases, pour more water to immerse chicken again. Reduce the heat down to medium and simmer for another 30 minutes. Dissolve glutinous rice flour, close the lid, and boil on low heat for around 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve with chopped green onion, salt, and black pepper. (Glutinous rice flour is used to make the soup milky white and thick, so you may skip this ingredient if you prefer clear soup.)

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