Samgyetang: Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

 

You can purchase an instant Samgyetang pack at a Korean supermarket with all the herbs assembled. 

Remove the skin so there is less fat in the soup.

Take the chicken out and cut into quarters and serve on a plate.

Skim the top with a ladle to remove excess fat and grease.

Sam gye tang is Korean for Ginseng Chicken Soup. Sam means Ginseng. Gye means chicken and Tang means soup. In Chinese the soup is called Yun Sum Gai Tong. In Chinese culture, chicken ginseng soup is similar however the chicken is never stuffed. Both the Chinese and Korean believe ginseng has healing properties and both cultures consume this soup to prevent sickness. According to Paul Ng, a master of Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginseng is never consumed when one is sick because it is believed that the sickness will be trapped inside the person. So remember, when consuming this soup just know that it is a type of medicine.

Ingredients:

1 free range chicken
6 garlic cloves
1 cup sticky rice
1 young ginseng root
1/2 cup of dried ginseng
1/2 cup dried red dates

Cooking Instructions:

1. Wash, and remove the skin from your free range chicken. Using a normal young hen will result it tonnes of fat.
2. stuff the chicken with the garlic, sticky rice, ginseng root, dried ginseng, and dates.
3. Place the stuffed chicken in a pot with 2L of water and place on high heat.
4. When the pot begins to boil turn the heat down to medium for 1 hour.
5. After the 1 hour mark, take the chicken out and serve on a plate with soya sauce to dip.
6. Skim the top of the soup to remove excess fat and serve hot.