Ginseng Chicken Soup - 삼계탕

Samgyetang means ginseng (kor. insam) - chicken (kor. gye) - soup (kor. tang). It consists primarily of a whole young chicken (poussin) - filled with garlic and rice -, scallion and spices, among them jujube and Korean ginseng.

Samgyetang is a famous as a summer- vitalizing food for natives and is justly popular among foreigners visiting Korea.

Samgyetang may taste plain to some, but its a healthy food that is especially good for those who perspire easily and have weak digestive organs. However, people who have high body temperatures or allergies should avoid the dish, as it boosts body temperature. When cooking Samgyetang, its better to use undried ginseng; if dried ginseng is used, its necessary to crush the ginseng well. Ginseng, Chinese dates and milk vetch root are medicinal herbs that can be easily found in Korea, and are thus considered traditional dishes among Koreans. Ginseng speeds up the metabolism of the body and is good for recovering from fatigue. Garlic acts as a tonic, and Chinese dates protect the stomach and also prevent anemia.

Ingredients

• 2 cornish hens. Each hen weighs about 1 1/2 pounds, a nice portion for 1 person.
• 1/2 cup short grain rice (or glutinous rice), rinsed and soaked in cold water for 2 hours.
• 2 fresh ginseng roots, washed
• 2 large dried jujubes, washed
• 16 garlic cloves, washed and the tips are removed
• 2 to 3 green onions, chopped
• salt
• ground black pepper

Sesame dipping sauce

• 1 to 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• a pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Sweet sour soy dipping sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
• 1/2 a medium size onion, cut into chunks
• 1 Jalapeno (or green chili pepper), chopped

Directions

Make the dipping sauces

1. Combine salt, sesame seeds, ground black pepper, and sesame oil in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. Combine soy sauce, vinegar and honey (or sugar) in another bowl. Mix well with a spoon. Add onion and jalapeno. Set aside.

Cook the chicken

1. Strain the rice
2. Remove the giblets from the hens and rub them with salt all over to clean them nicely. Rinse under cold running water.
3. Put the hens on the cutting board, pat dry, and remove any extra fat around the body cavities with kitchen scissors. Cut off the tips of wings if you want.
4. Stuff each hen with rice, 1 ginseng, 1 jujube, and 8 garlic cloves. Put any leftover rice in the pot.
5. Place the hens into a heavy pot. Add 8 cups of cold water, cover, and cook over medium high heat for 30 minutes.
6. Turn down the heat to medium and cook another 40 minutes until the chicken, ginseng, and rice turn soft. Open up the pot from time to time and ladle some broth from the bottom over top of the chickens. If the broth evaporates too much, add more water.
7. Remove from the heat.

Serve

1. Place each hen into 2 individual bowls and add the chicken and broth. Sprinkle with chopped green onion and ground black pepper. Serve with kimchi and the 2 kinds of dipping sauce.
2. If you serve them in earthenware pots, preheat the pots with a little water inside (about 2 tablespoons) and add the chicken and broth. Let them sit in on the heat until the samgyetang starts to sizzle. Then remove from the heat and sprinkle green onion over top and grind some black pepper. Serve hot with the dipping sauce and kimchi.

Video

Source: Visit Korea, wikipedia, maangchi, TriFood.com, No Recipes, whateveryonelikes