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Samgyetang
Ginseng chicken soup
삼계탕: whole poussin stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng, jujube and garlic
On the three hottest days of the Korean summer, called boknal, queues form outside samgyetang restaurants all over the country. The idea is to fight heat with heat: a small whole chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes and garlic, then simmered until the meat falls off the bone. Each person gets their own bird in its own bowl, with salt and pepper for dipping. Ginseng is not advised in pregnancy, so leave it out if unsure. Chef's tip: cut a small slit in the skin of one thigh and tuck the other leg through it, so the stuffing stays inside without string.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 poussins (small whole chickens)about 500 g each
- 3 ½ oz glutinous (sticky) rice
- 2 fresh ginseng rootssmall; or 2 dried pieces
- 10 cloves garlicpeeled
- 4 peeled chestnuts (optional)
- 8 ¼ cups water
To serve
- 2 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse 3 ½ oz glutinous (sticky) rice until the water runs clear, then cover with cold water and soak for 30 minutes while you prepare the birds.
30 minStep 2: Pat 2 poussins (small whole chickens) dry inside and out. Trim off the wing tips and any loose fat around the cavity.
Step 3: Drain the rice. Put 1 ginseng root, 1 jujube and 2 garlic cloves into each bird first, then spoon in the rice. Common mistake: packing the cavity full. The rice swells as it cooks, so fill it only about two thirds and keep the rest in a little muslin bag or tuck it into the pot.
Step 4: Cut a 1 cm slit through the skin near the end of one thigh and push the other drumstick through it to cross the legs and close the cavity.
Step 5: Put the birds breast side up in a pot that holds them snugly. Add 8 ¼ cups water with the rest of 2 fresh ginseng roots, 6 dried jujubes (Korean red dates), 10 cloves garlic and 4 peeled chestnuts. The water should almost cover the birds.
2 minStep 6: Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the foam that rises.
8 minStep 7: Cover, lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 50 minutes, until the legs move loosely in their joints. Turn the birds once halfway so they cook evenly.
50 minStep 8: Check with a thermometer: the thickest part of the thigh, and the rice in the middle of the cavity, must reach 165°F/165 °F, and the juices must run clear. If not, simmer for 10 minutes more and check again.
10 minStep 9: Mix 2 tsp fine sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper in two small dishes. Lift each bird into a deep bowl, ladle the hot broth over and scatter with 2 spring onions. Pull off pieces of meat and dip them in the salt and pepper, and mix the rice into the broth as you eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 58 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does samgyetang take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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