Samgyetang (삼계탕)

I have been long wanting to make this soup and finally, this wholesome and nourishing Korean-style ginseng chicken soup with glutinous rice is served on my dinning table on Saturday evening.

 

 

 

The authentic Samgyetang uses fresh Korean ginseng but this is not available in supermarkets here. So I followed this version from Cuisine Paradise and used the dried ginseng we Chinese used to broil our traditional ginseng chicken soup as a substitute and it worked well. The addition of glutinous rice in the soup make the soup slightly creamy, gluey and so delighting. I used a kampong chicken to make this soup. When it comes to buying whole fresh chicken, I always go for kampong chicken as I find that it is not as fatty and the meat is more tender as compared to the ordinary big whole chicken. 

 

This is a tasty and nourishing soup for the family. It does not involve complicated steps and long list of ingredients. The hardest step, to me, is cleaning the chicken. :)

Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup With Glutinous Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (I used Kampong Chicken), cleaned and skin removed
• 2 dried ginseng
• few slices of ginger
• 5 red dates, de-seeded
• 2 tablespoons of Chinese wine (I used 养命酒）
• Half-rice bowl full of glutinous rice (wash and pre-soaked for few hours before use)
• Enough water to cover the whole chicken

Methods:

1. Stuff the glutinous rice, red dates and ginger slices into the chicken and place the whole chicken into the soup pot.
2. Pour the Chinese wine all over the chicken.
3. Add in the 2 whole ginsengs into the pot.
4. Add in the water.
5. On the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and continue to simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.
7. Season with salt to taste before serving.