Herbal Chicken Soup
Herbal Chicken Soup (Ga Ham Thuoc Bac) is not only delicious, but it can also warm and heal your body. It will provide you with energy to fight off illnesses in colder months. An easy one-pot recipe with health benefits.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cornish hen ((about 1.5-1.75 lbs))
- 0.7 oz astragalus roots ((about 4 slices))
- 0.7 oz dried Chinese yams ((about 6 slices))
- 0.4 oz angelica sinensis ((about 2 slices))
- 0.3 oz goji berries ((1 1/2 tablespoons))
- 4-8 red dates, seeds removed ((depending on their size))
- 2 1/2 cups fresh young coconut juice ((juice from about 2 young coconuts, or substitute with water))
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2-inch piece of ginger
- 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
- scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- 1
Rinse all herbs (astragalus roots, dried Chinese yams, angelica sinensis, goji berries and red dates) under water to remove dirt. Soak in water for 5-10 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- 2
Rub cornish hen with a lot of salt and rinse under water to clean it. Or you can parboil it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
- 3
In a clean pot, add cornish hen, ginger, garlic, coconut juice and water. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce heat to a simmer and add all the medicinal herbs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (or to taste).
- 4
Gently simmer for 60 minutes, or to desired strength of the soup and tenderness of the chicken. If you use a larger chicken, you may need to increase cooking time.
- 5
Serve hot and garnish with sliced scallions.