Ingredients
- 1/2 cup glutinous sweet rice
- 4 small whole chickens or Cornish hens, about 1 1/4 lb each
- 4 fresh ginseng roots
- 12 dried jujubes
- 16 cloves garlic, peeled
- 10 cups water
- 4 green onions, chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Rinse the birds, trim excess fat at the neck and tail and pat dry.
- Stuff each cavity with 2 tablespoons rice, 1 ginseng root, 2 jujubes and 2 garlic cloves, then cross the legs and tie or tuck them so the filling stays in.
- Set the birds in a wide pot with the remaining jujubes and garlic, cover with the water and bring to a boil.
- Skim, lower to a steady simmer, cover and cook about 1 hour, until the thigh and the rice stuffing reach 165°F.
- Serve each bird in its own bowl of broth with green onions, and salt and pepper at the table for seasoning to taste.
Notes
Fresh ginseng and dried jujubes are at Korean markets like H Mart; dried ginseng root works too.
Koreans eat this on the hottest days of summer, so it suits a Florida July perfectly.