Our Taste of Home: Samgye-tang
By Paul Kim
No matter the weather, whether I’m sick or not, one thing that is usually on the stove at my house is a giant pot of Samgye-tang (삼계탕). I grew up eating this dish in Korea when I would visit my father’s side of my family. During family outings, we regularly visited a popular restaurant in the Gwangju area and all ordered Samgye-tang (삼계탕) to fight the cold during harsh winters in South Korea. Surprisingly enough, this is a dish that is normally enjoyed during the hot summer months. Fortunately, my mother learned the recipe from my grandmother so that she could cook it for us at home in LA; and now, I can once again eat a meal I’ve always enjoyed as an adolescent.
Photo courtesy of New York Times.
Samgye-tang (삼계탕) is a popular Korean chicken soup made with ginseng. Some of the other key ingredients include rice, salt, ginger, garlic, and copious amounts of jujubes; although, salt and rice are usually added to the dish once it is served. The meat served in this dish is usually cornish hen; although, it could be made with other kinds of chicken. The immense amounts of garlic and ginseng utilized in the soup has been historically consumed as an immune system-booster, as well as an energy source. Thus, Samgye-tang (삼계탕) has become a popular dish for South Korean laborers that is enjoyed all year long.
It takes time and patience to prepare the complex broth. The biggest time-consumer in creating Samgye-tang (삼계탕) is washing the ingredients; the cornish hen and other raw ingredients (rice, ginseng, garlic) require intricate care and attention. The broth is made with ginseng roots, jujubes and a plethora of garlic cloves. These ingredients are stuffed into the cornish hen, similar to how American’s stuff turkeys on Thanksgiving. Thankfully, my mother cooks this dish more than once a year. It always feels like a special occasion when the smell of the savory, warm soup spreads throughout the house. The smell of the soup across the house somehow keeps you constantly hungry (until you eat an entire bowl).
I typically cook American-style food, such as burgers and breakfast food (i.e. eggs, bacon, toast), since it’s convenient to pick up the ingredients at any local grocery store. Thus, I don’t have much experience cooking Korean-style food; however, it is always a great experience getting to see or smell my mom’s cooking. I hope to someday learn how to make Korean dishes so that I can make them for my children.
Now that I live closer to Koreatown, Los Angeles, I can easily find the ingredients needed to make Samgye-tang (삼계탕) and other popular Korean food. Thanks to this convenience, I can potentially learn Korean recipes and pass on them onto future generations. Since I am a first-generation Korean-American, I feel that it is my responsibility to show younger Korean-American generations the food from their motherland in hopes that they will pass down the knowledge too.