Ginseng Chicken Soup - an energy booster in the early spring

As a food therapy, the warm and nourishing soup has been served on Asian people's table for centuries. It's easy to make but super delicious at the same time.

All the ingredients you need are no more than ginseng and chicken (high quality for sure). However, the selection of ginseng may need to be taken into consideration --- Asian ginseng varieties are of warming properties while the American ones are the opposite. So if you are seeking for those which tonify you Qi (the great energy), the dried, aged Asian ginseng might be a good choice.

If you are the type of person who likes to add "sweetness" into any food remedy, red jujubes (hong zao) and goji berries (go ji zi) always top the list! Working synergetically with ginseng, these two super food also have similar warming properties but with more minerals like iron, which work perfectly for women's blood replenishment.

Here is the fool-proof recipe:

Ingredients:

• Chicken, 1 (about 700 grams)
• Red Dates, 4-8 
• Ginseng, 2 
• Ginkgo, 4-8 
• Water, 5 litres
• Ginger , 3 -5 (slices)
• Spring Onions 2-3
• Salt
• White Pepper

• Rinse the whole chicken under tap water thoroughly and cut them into preferrable pieces. 
• Bring the pot of water and chicken together to a boil. Skim the foam on the top of the boiled water. Discard this batch of water.
• Rinse the pot before reusing it for brewing, refill it with clean water, and add chicken pieces, sliced ginger and ginseng.
• Bring the soup pot to a boil and simmer with lid on for 1 hour.
• Remove the ginseng if they are softened by then, add red jujubes, then simmer for another 30 minutes.
• Add goji berries into the soup pot. Simmer for another 15 minutes, remove from heat.
• Before serving, season with white pepper and salt, and garnish with spring onions. At this stage, the soup should taste savory with a hint of sweetness. 

photo credit: Thermos

recipe by Jingzi 02/07/23