Samgyetang ( Giseng &Chkien Soup)/삼계탕

This Spring chicken soup has medicinal quality in Korea and specially eat during the very hot Summer, because Koreans believe Heat has to be treated by Heat. It is very oriental way of thinking. This soup is good for the energy boosting , having very long hot, humid Summer in Korea, time to time, we need this kind of highly nutritious soup to boost our energy. I found it's  much easier to make this soup in UK because baby chicken is widely available all year around.

1 baby chicken

2 tbsp sticky rice

1 head of garlic

1 dry small ginseng root

1 small piece of ginger

2-3 jujube

1. Clean the chicken and remove excess fat and  dry with kitchen tissue.rice and soak in the water at least 1 hour, drain and leave for 20 minutes.

2.Soak ginseng for 20-30minutes, stuff chicken cavity with soaked  rice, garlic( skin off), jujube and cross leg to keep the stuff inside.

3.In a large pan put stuffed chicken , ginger, ginseng, add water ( up to chicken)  and boil on the high heat for 20 min. and simmer for another 50min. to 1hour until soup looks milky .

Serve whole chicken in a brown Korean stew dish ,with very finely chopped spring onion and salt and black pepper in the small 2 separate bowls.
4. This is a main meal, usually  1 chicken per person,  cut  off meat with spoon and  mix with sticky rice form the cavity, season with salt and pepper, add chopped spring onion. Samgyetang is a non spicy soup., with garlicky ,light ginseng flavour ,it is truly energy boosting soup!, Also  very heart warming soup.

This soup is a perfect meal for not only hot and humid, tiring Korean Summer but anywhere or any season., I think !