Ingredients:
Small chicken (Cornish hen), 1/4 cup of sweet rice, a dozen cloves of garlic, green onions, a few jujubes, and 1 or 2 small ginseng roots.
- Wash and rinse your chicken in cold running water.
- Soak 1/4 cup of sweet rice for 1 hour.
- Stuff the chicken with the sweet rice, a ginseng root, a few jujubes, and 3-4 cloves of garlic. Place it in a pot.
- Pour water into the pot and boil it over high heat for 20 minutes. When it starts boiling, skim off any foam and fat that rises to the surface Then pour in more water and boil it over medium heat for 40 minutes.
- When it cooks properly, the chicken will be easily pulled apart by chopsticks.
- Serve it with salt and pepper and kimchi or kaktugi.
fantastic video!! sam gye tang looks sooo simple (and yummy) to make :) i’m definately gonna try this recipe out at home.
p.s. hope you have been well :)
Can you put ginger and Ginseng into the chicken when you cook it? Chicken has a smell to it so I thought Ginger goes into this dish as well.
Hi,Deborah,
Good to hear from you!
Since I met you last time, I sometimes have been thinking about you, especially when I make some special food. I just think, “Deborah may like to learn this.” : )
Next time I make my kimchi, I will let you know through e-mail.
Maangchi,
I would love to make this soup - however, I wouldn’t know where to buy the ginseng. I live close to Toronto, Canada - can you suggest any shops?
Thanks!
I usually go to a korean store located west of bloor and bathurst. The closest subway is Christie or Bathurst. You can ask people where a korean grocery store is. There are 3 or 4 grocery stores there.
I bought the fresh ginseng there.
Or when you come down to Toronto, let me know via email, then I will find a time to help you get it.
Thanks,
I saw packages of tiny roots of Korean ginseng available at a Korean store for $15.99 USD per pound.
I wonder if I can use these hair like little roots to subsitude the actual body of ginseng for the sam gae tang.
agasuka,
Yes, I think it will be ok. Why don’t you ask the owner of the store if you can buy a good looking ginseng? : ) I paid $ 10.00for 3 or 4 roots of ginseng here.
I wish to try fresh ginseng, it is not available here. (There’s Hong Sam red ginseng root available for 19.99/lb)
I made the Sam gye tang with dried ginseng root hair but it was a failure.
Since you used 4 thick fresh ginseng, so I added 2/3 cup of dried ginseng root hair, however, it became way too bitter, as the tiny ginseng roots enlarged after cooking, it was almost 2 cups. I had to added a lot of water and green onions to cover up the overwhelmed ginseng taste, on the other hand, the taste of chicken was diluted.
Lesson learned:
Do not add too much ginseng.
Interesting facts that I’d like to share:
Maybe it was a late supper…
Maybe I was very tired…
Maybe it was the power of the amazing ginseng…
After having the “Super” ginseng soup, I felt very sleepy, and I had a very nice sleep that night right after the meal. :)
The other person who had my super soup felt warm current inside his chest after tasting the soup.
Hi,agasuka,
Your lesson sounds like poem!
The soup seemed to be medicine instead of a meal. : )
Sorry to hear about your failure.
Anyway thank you for sharing your story even though it was failure.
“Don’t use much ginseng for samgyetang”!
Hey Maangchi!
I made this soup a little while ago and my mom and brother LOVED it and it was gone before the day was over. Thanks so much for posting these recipes! :)
denise,
wow, congratulaion!
Hi Maangchi,
I like to know if I can substitute the ginseng root with Ginseng powder?
Thanks,
Hi,
I never use ginseng powder in sam gye tang. fresh ginseng is good. If you have to use the ginseng powder, use only 1 or 2 ts. If you put it too much, the soup will be thick.
This is so beautiful! Do you have recipes for more similar soups? Thanks maangchi.
catherine,
How about the recipe I posted radish soup with beef. I strongly recommend it. I posted it when I made stuffed cucumber kimchi (oisobagi)
http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/oisobagi-kimchi
Hi Maangchi,
Is it alright to replace sweet rice with normal rice?
Thanks,
Merilyn
merilyn,
Yes, you can. Thank you!
Hi Maangchi,
I don’t cook Korean food very much at all as I don’t know how and due to where I live it’s hard to get hold of some or most ingredients!!
But I have been watching yr videos which inspired me to cook and I am now cooking Sam Gye Tang without ginseng which is the most important ingredient, the broth taste amazing and can’t wait the finished result!! Just wanted to thank you for making me to cook!! My b/f will be pleased!! :)
Take care.. xx
Jiyoon Kim,
Congratulation on you successful chicken soup making! You made “dak jook” instead of “samgyetang”. Dak jook (chicken soup) is also really good. Some people who don’t like ginseng taste prefer dak jook to samgytang.
Put lots of garlic in chicken soup. : )
“gyeran jjim” is very easy to make it even though you don’t cook often.
Hi Maangchi
I was just wondering, does it have to be ginsens root or can you just use ginseng itself?
LaLa,
? ginseng is root, right? ; )
Use fresh ginseng.
Hello Maangchi! Your blog is so awesome! I learnt so much from looking at your recipes. Loving this! I was trying to find a recipe for Gamjatang, I wonder if you’d have it. My Mom loves it, so I’d like to make some for her. Thank you! Keep up this site! =D
Doris,
sure gamjatang!, it’s already in the list of my upcoming cooking videos. Thank you!
Hello Maangchi! Thank you for replying! I’ll be waiting for that one to be up. Today I made the Sweet Soybean SideDish! I Love it! came out just as I expected! Thank YOU!
Doris,
Thank you for your update! Wonderful!
Hi Maangchi! Can any dates be used in this recipe or just jujubes? How can you tell if jujubes are ripe? I bought some from my local market a few weeks ago and they were hard as rocks but smelled awful!
Liz,
yes, just jujubes that’s what I use in “samgyetang”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujube
check the dried red jujube picture on the page.
Good quality of jujube is red, wrinkly, and sweet. You can eat it as it is.
hi maangchi!!!! love your site… what is sweet rice? i wonder if that is the same as sticky rice…thanks!!!
chicahay,
Yes, it’s glutinous rice. If you don’t have it, you can replace it with plain short-grain rice (rice for sushi).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice
hi…… i made this one yesterday and it taste great!!!!!!
whats the difference of the red ginseng and the white one? can i use the dried red ginseng in this soup?
armie,
red ginseng is better quality than white ginseng. Yes, you can use it in samgyetang.
When I lived in Korea, whenever I felt a cold coming on, I went to Ajumma’s restaurant and order SamGaeTung. It is great for clearing the sinuses and I always felt better after having it. I can’t totally attest that it got rid of my cold, but I honestly believe it made it less severe, if I caught it in time.
When I had it in Korea, it had a prune inside instead of jubejubes.
This is a great meal on a cold winter night or when you’re feeling under the weather.
Cathy,
I found an interesting article about samgyetang on the internet. Check this out.
“Samgyetang is an ideal body energizing food made of chicken, which is rich in protein and essential amino acids, and ginseng (or “panax” in scientific parlance), known since ancient times as a cure for many diseases.
It is an outstanding stamina-improving food with well-balanced nutrients from ginseng, glutinous rice, jujube and chestnut.
According to the “Donguibogam,” a famous Oriental Science Medicine book, “ginseng in samgyetang strengthens the heart’s functions; garlic plays the role of a body energizer; chestnut and jujube protect the stomach and prevent anemia; and pumpkin seeds prevent parasites.”
http://english.kbs.co.kr/life/trend/1358077_11857.html
I am so glad to have discovered your blog. You are my cooking hero. We swapped places - you in Canada, me in Korea.
Where can I buy the Korean gingseng when I am around San Francisco Bay Area, near Sunnyvale? The white gingseng you use for the Korean Gingseng Soup.
Thanks.
Jennifer C,
It is usually sold in China town or Korean grocery store. If you find it, please leave the address of the store on the forum here. fresh ginseng is used for ginseng chicken soup.
http://www.maangchi.com/talk/topic/where-do-you-buy-your-korean-ingredients
HI Maangchi,
Can you use dried ginseng?
livy,
no, you need fresh ginseng root.
maangchi…i can’t find fresh ginseng…all I can find is dried ginseng. Would it still be okay since I can’t find any fresh ginseng?
koreanfoodlover,
oh, I’m sorry to hear that!
Skip ginseng then. Dried ginseng is very hard so it is usually used for medicine by boiling for days.
Hi Maanchi,
I have some slivers of dried ginseng that I would like to use in my Sam Gye Tang. If I pre-soak it, how much should I try to use do you think? This is probably American Ginseng that my mom got at the Chinese supermarket that is frequently used for making individual cups of ginseng water, so I know that a little goes far.
julisensei,
sorry I can’t give you answer because I have never used dried ginseng for samgyetang. You can leave your question here http://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
Hi Maangchi,
Would you please give me names of Korean restaurants in Hochiminh city, Vietnam where I can buy Sam Gye Tang? I’d like to buy it for my husband who just get an operation of liver cancer. I think it good for him, isn’t it? Thank you.
Thao Bui,
oh, I’m sorry to hear about your husband! I’m praying for him at the moment! Yes, samgyetang will be good food for him. Why don’t you make it instead of looking for a restaurant? If you find a fresh ginseng root, it’ll be easy to make good samgyetang.
You can leave your question on the forum at http://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
then you may get good answer from someone else.
I don’t know much about Korean restaurants in Hochiminh city.
Hi Maangchi!
I’m going to make this for my little sisters and we’ve never had ginseng before. I’m just wondering, how many ginseng roots do you recommend for a mild flavor? I notice you used 4 roots in the video but only suggested 2 in the ingredients list. I just don’t want the ginseng flavor to be too strong since I don’t know what it tastes like.
Can’t wait to make this soon. Please get back to me when you can!! :)
blia,
I suggest using a half ginseng root for each serving. Cut a small size fresh ginseng root in half lengthwise. You can skip ginseng root if you don’t like the flavor.
Hi Maangchi, I love your blog. It makes cooking korean food so much easier! Since I am half korean, it is really important to me.
Today i try to cook samgyetang myself and I got confused at my first step, the chicken now lying on my kitchen table: Did you take of the skin of the chicken before cooking it? Or do you leave it on? Probably a stupid question but i really dont know and i cant tell from just looking at the chicken in your video^^
togiltokki,
no, don’t skin it unless you really want to.
Today I made chicken porridge using normal size chicken. I skinned it to remove fat and it turned out good.
hi maangchi i am seriously saying thank you to you i had throat infection that was so painfull that when i speak few words also i fell pain i made sampyetang 3 days regularly and i am very well now
wow,good news! I should make samgyetang for myself now because I’m struggling with the similar symptoms that you had. Take care,
thx lord.. finally i found korean food recipes…
i really love samgyetang.. hahha… i always order it everytime i visits the korean restaurant.. ^^ (i’m at jakarta, indonesia and hell yeah they got many korean restos here!!)
고마워요…!!! ^^ ㅎㅎㅎ
You are very welcome!
hi: i’m trying your samgaetang recipe however i’m making 2 cornish hens in one pot. would i could it for the same amount of time, boil 20 high heat, then boil 40 min over medium heat? i don’t want to over cook it.
The pot can stand on an elektronic plate for cooking?
yes, earthenware pots can be used with any heat source.
만지님 you are awesome! ^0^
Now i can learn to cook for my bf after his military serviceㅎㅎ
Can`t believe you have 삼계탕 here! Thank you so much!!!
Anyways in the chicken section you only seem to have 2 recipesㅠㅠ
By any chance will you be posting on how to cook 닭똥집? Possibly
something that looks like this?? ^^;;
http://i679.photobucket.com/albums/vv156/jjnagano/05.jpg
chicken gizzard recipe, sure!
Good luck with making samgyetang! You will impress your bf with your delicious samgyetang. ; )
OMG!! I tried some of your recipes and it came out sooo good!! My husband, who is American, loved it too! I am going to try Samgyetang some time this week! I have to drive 45 minutes to our “local” Korean grocery store, but it will be all worth it!!!
I hope your samgyetang turns out good!
maangchi, it’s me again.
you know, now I’ve just made samgyetang soup an hour ago for dinner, at least that’s what I planned to ;) . because I couldnt get small chicken, i used breast chicken. unfortunately I’m not a good wrapper, so the rice was all over the pot. now, I come out with samgyetang porridge ha.ha.ha. but it’s also delicious though. it gives me idea to make chicken & ginseng porridge again one day. now I’m still trying to finish my dinner.
I also want to try to make sikhye but it’s difficult to find the barley powder. I’ve got two korean minimarkets close to my office but both dont have it. there is only the barley seed. so, can i use the seed? if it’s okay, how to make the sikhye with barley seed? I have lakchi, can you suggest me what is it for?
thanks a lot!
Yeah, you made chicken porridge called daakjook in Korean. I will post daakjook recipe someday. I use a huge pot when I make the porridge. Anyway, I’m glad your chicken soup turned out good!
To make shikhye, you will have to find right ingredient barley malt powder: Yeotkireum
http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/barley-malt-powder
I am copying and pasting my answer made for someone else a few days ago.
“There are 2 types of barley malt: powder type and coarsely crushed (or pounded )barley malt.
I use either powder type or crushed type. But be sure it is really crushed barley malt. If you find these words “엿기름 가루” or “식혜가루” on the package, buy it.”