What is Samgyetang?
Samgyetang is a kind of Korean soup traditionally served during the summer. The name means "chicken ginseng soup". This fine flavored soup includes whole chicken, filled with other ingredients and cooked until it is very tender. Samgyetang is considered a tonic for those suffering from extremely hot Korean years. In South Korea there are many special restaurants that only serve this soup.
The whole young chicken is the basis of the bowl. Traditionally, it is so young chicken that it does not yet lay eggs. In restaurants, it is usual for each bowl to include the whole chicken. Some modern recipes require Cornish hens, one for dinner.
In addition to chicken, samgyetang includes sweet or sticky rice, ginseng, dried jujubes and ginger. They are filled inside the chicken, which is closed by skewers or several stitches. Rice is often soaked before filling the chicken, which helps ensure that it cooks the Completels.
Ginseng, the main aromalist in this soup, is a traditionally used root in Chinese and Korean Medition and cooking. The roots are long, strong and twisted. Ginseng gives the soup a slightly bitter taste.
Jujubes are a dried form of plum fruit. Although not related to data, they are often called "Chinese data" because of their appearance and dried structure. They give the soup a gentle sweetness. Pine trees and chestnuts are also often used in the soup.
Some recipes require cooking chicken in chicken broth, giving the soup a deeper taste. For bright broth with light flavor, the soup is cooked until the chicken is cooked properly. Longer cooking produces white or cloudy broth with a stronger taste.
Traditionally, Samgyetang is brought to the table still cooking in a clay bowl that helps keep warm. The soup, as it serves, is not highly spice and is often a bit floor. Small bowls of salt and pepper are placed on the table so the guests can add them to the bowl as they wish. Some guests instead immerse pieces of chicken into the root.
Most meals in Korea include a species of kimchi, spicy, fermented vegetable mixtures that are the basis in Korean cooking. Samgyetang is traditionally administered with kkakdugi , Kimchi made of radish Daikon. kochujanggi , spicy spices made of red chilis, is also often served on the side so that the guests add to the soup as needed.