Nourishing Mung Bean Samgyetang: A Summer Health Booster Recipe
The perfect restorative dish for hot summers: Delicious Mung Bean Samgyetang
When you think of summer health foods, Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup) comes to mind. Today, we’re not making a typical herbal Samgyetang, but a hearty Mung Bean Samgyetang, simmered to perfection with plenty of mung beans. This dish is packed with nutrition and offers a rich, comforting flavor that will help you beat the summer heat and regain your energy.
Ingredients
- 50g glutinous rice
- 50g hulled mung beans
- 1 small potato
- 15 whole garlic cloves
- 11 jujube dates
- 6 sprigs of Acanthopanax (Eleuthero)
- 2/3 medium onion
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare 50g of glutinous rice and 50g of hulled mung beans. Rinse both ingredients thoroughly, then soak them together in lukewarm water for about 1 hour until well-softened. Soaking the mung beans well is crucial for them to cook into a creamy, nutty filling inside the chicken.
Step 2
Carefully prepare one whole chicken. Scrape away any impurities or blood clots from the backbone cavity. Trim off the tip of the tail and the end of the wings, as these are common sources of gamey odors. Remove any excess fat from the neck area and around the tail as well. Thorough cleaning ensures a clean-tasting broth.
Step 3
Once the glutinous rice and mung beans are soaked and drained, generously stuff them into the cavity of the prepared chicken. Be mindful not to overstuff, as the rice and beans will expand as they cook, but ensure enough filling is packed to prevent it from falling out during cooking.
Step 4
Secure the chicken’s legs to keep the filling contained. Make a vertical slit in the thigh flesh of one leg, and then tuck the other leg through this slit, crossing them over to lock them in place. This technique helps maintain the chicken’s shape and prevents the filling from escaping.
Step 5
Place the prepared chicken into a pressure cooker. Add the whole garlic cloves, peeled potato, roughly chopped onion, Acanthopanax sprigs, and jujube dates around the chicken. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker tightly. Now, all that’s left is to wait for it to simmer until tender. Using a pressure cooker significantly reduces cooking time and helps extract deeper flavors into the broth.
Step 6
Once the pressure has completely released from the cooker, carefully open the lid. Your delicious Mung Bean Samgyetang is ready! The chicken should be fall-off-the-bone tender, and the glutinous rice and mung beans will have broken down to create a rich, creamy, and wonderfully savory broth. Enjoy this nourishing soup while it’s piping hot!
