Delicious dishes for the Vu Lan season: The secret to making nutritious and heartwarming chicken soup with Chinese herbs.
A refreshing and nutritious chicken soup simmered with Chinese herbs, this dish helps to nourish the body and strengthen family bonds, making it a delicious meal to enjoy during the Vu Lan festival, a time filled with love.
A pot of soup as a token of filial piety.
Every year during the Vu Lan festival, besides the rituals of gratitude, a simple yet meaningful way to express filial piety is to personally prepare a meal for one's parents. Among these, chicken soup simmered with medicinal herbs is not only nutritious but also a dish brimming with love, bringing warmth and togetherness to the whole family.
Ingredients needed
- 600g bone-in chicken thighs/chicken drumsticks (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 900ml chicken broth
- Red dates, goji berries, Chinese yam, ginkgo biloba, codonopsis pilosula, rehmannia glutinosa, coix seeds (5–10g each)
- 2 slices of fresh ginger
- Salt, chicken powder, and rock sugar to taste.
How to cook chicken soup with Chinese herbs
Preparing the chickenWash thoroughly, blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water to remove odor, then drain.
Prepare the traditional Chinese medicine.Soak the herbs in warm water for 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Cooking soupAdd chicken broth to a pot along with ginger, Chinese herbs, chicken, salt, and rock sugar. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
TunnelReduce the heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes until the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken and continue simmering with the Chinese herbs for another 20 minutes to enhance the aroma.
CompleteReturn the chicken to the pot, season to taste, and serve hot.
How to make chicken broth
1. Ingredients for chicken broth
- 1kg chicken bones
- 20g crushed ginger
- 20g lightly roasted shallots
- 50g of onion, sliced into wedges.
- 20g of green onion roots
- 50g chopped carrots
- 2g salt
- 2 liters of filtered water
2. Preparing chicken broth
Blanch chicken bones for 3–5 minutes, then rinse.
Put all the ingredients and filtered water into a pot.
Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
Strain the liquid to use for making soup.
The meaning of the dish
A pot of chicken soup simmered with Chinese herbs is not only nutritious with its tender, sweet chicken and refreshing taste from the herbs, but it also symbolizes care and concern. During family meals in the Vu Lan season, the warm aroma from the soup is a message of love, bringing generations closer together.
