Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

 

Samgyetang is a chicken soup made by stuffing a young chicken with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes and garlic, then simmering it for a long time. In Korea, there are three traditional hottest days in the summer. People have samgyetang on those days to overcome the heat.

Ingredients

● 4 small chickens

● 1 cup glutinous rice

● milk vetch water : 4 milk vetch roots, 15 cups water

● 4 roots fresh ginseng, 4 heads garlic, 4 jujube

● 13 cups water

● 20 g green onion, 1 tbsp salt, 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1. Clean out the chicken if not already gutted and wash it.

2. Wash the glutinous rice and soak in water for 2 hours, drain the water out using a strainer.

3. Wash the milk vetch roots and soak in water for 2 hours.

4. Wash and clean the fresh ginseng and cut the head part. Wash and clean garlic and jujube.

5. Wash green onions and chop them finely.

6. Put the milk vetch roots and water in the pot, heat 20 minutes on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, simmer it for 40 minutes, filter it through a strainer.

7. Stuff each chicken with the rice, ginseng, garlic and jujube. Tie the legs of each chicken across each other to keep the stuffing inside.

8. Put the chicken and milk vetch water in the pot, boil it for 20 minutes on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer it for 50 minutes until the soup turns milky white.

9. Serve it with green onion, salt and ground black pepper.



Tip: Do not boil the chicken soup too long, or the meat may disintegrate.

(Adapted from the Institute of Traditional Korean Food)