Ginseng Tea

This is a simple and nice recipe for consuming Ginseng (for those that do not want to cook). It can be served after meal as a digestive. Often, I advise against serving this tea after a hot dinner, that is, a dinner filled with fried or roasted food; especially deep fried food.

인삼차 [Insam Cha]

MAKES 900ML

Ingredients

• 3 Slices of Ginseng (Red recommended)

• 1cm piece of Fresh Old Ginger

• 3 Chinese Jujubes (Hong Zhao), cut into pieces. Use seeded.

1. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan (I prefer Pyrex glassware as Chinese Tradition recounts that Ginseng shouldn't touch any metal besides silver. However, stainless steel is fine) and add in 900ml of water (preferably spring water or bottled mineral water of reputable brand).

2. Bring to the boil, after which, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1½ hour.

3. Strain into cups. Add pieces of Ginseng if you like and sprinkle some Pine seeds for decoration.

There you have it, a nice cup of Insam Cha. This recipe extracts all the goodness of Ginseng together with Ginger and Jujubes. It is a good tonic and it made a good warming drink during winter time. For those who are living in hot climates, this drink shouldn't be a staple as it will induce insomnia, sore throat, and the like (you get what I mean).

Do not consume Ginseng if you have such condition:

1. Fever

2. Hypoglycemia or hypertension

3. Under Cardiac medications.

Also, do not consume Ginseng late at night as it will cause insomnia and may also cause nervousness and sleeplessness. May cause irritability in some sensitive individuals. “Ginseng therapy elevated mood, improved psychophysical performance, and reduced fasting blood glucose and body weight. The 200-mg dose of Ginseng improved glycated haemoglobin and physical activity,” (Sotaniemi et al., 1995).

Selecting Ginseng

Selecting Ginseng

The three main type of Ginseng is as follow:

1. Oriental Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
2. American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium)
3. Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)

Oriental Ginseng

This is the much popular root of all the time, often reaching celebrity status, the famous Ginseng. It’s an ideal stimulating tonic as it is more effective than any other species in this respect. However, someone who is ‘hot’, hyperactive, and nervous shouldn’t take this herb. However, this is exceptional when one is exhausted, recuperating from illnesses, or aged. Ginseng tends to be masculine in energy, which may amplify male hormonal qualities more successfully than other varieties. Subsequently, this root is better for males than females but the variation is so slight, both sexes can consume them without much difficulty. However, do take precautions.

American Ginseng

Currently available in the United States and the Far East, it is almost as popular as Oriental Ginseng. American Ginseng, though tonic, is a ‘yin’ tonic. It’s not as brim stoning as Oriental Ginseng, thus allowing a variety of person to consume it without much problem. It is adaptogenic nonetheless and in this respect, comparable to that of Oriental Ginseng. People in warmer climate (like in Southeast Asia) prefer this to Oriental Ginseng.

Siberian Ginseng

I have already blogged about this herb in details. Refer to the post with similar title.

The Grades and Varieties of Oriental Ginseng

The best one is called ‘Yi Sun’ Ginseng. Though I never heard of it, I am including a list of guideline on what to see when buying your root.

Age

The older the root when harvested, the better. Larger roots might be older than smaller roots but to see it clearer, note the head-like protrusion on the top of the Ginseng root. If you see attentively, you will notice the rings on the node. The number of the rings roughly parallel the years the said Ginseng is cultivated.

Colour

Red is better than white generally, because higher quality roots are usually selected for steaming. The Korean called this ‘Hong Sam’

Hardness

The root should be firm and hard. If it is red, it should look crystalline and deep in colour, often red.

Taste

Ginseng root should taste rich, strong and bitter, often with a peculiar sweet aftertaste.

Shape

The shape should be straight with some hairy tendril roots. Roots that are too hairy are not of good quality as root hairs are medicinally poor. The root should have a man-like appearance and generally, curled roots are of a more inferior quality.

It is worthy to mention that the Koreans' roots are of good quality too. Though not as good ad the Chinese’s as it is quit blatant in term of energy, nonetheless, you can guarantee Korean roots to be of good qualities. The Korean Government is very specific in their Ginseng Roots and theirs are quite world-renowed.

*Image taken from: http://www.medizin.de/gesundheit/data_images/low/991-ginseng.jpg

Ginseng Chicken Soup

My blog recently has almost been a cook book website. I am surprised as well but I am pleased to say that I am a culinary master too (just kidding, the most I can cook is Korean). Anyhow, I don't introduce recipe without any purposes. The purpose I am posting this recipe is because of its healing properties. It combines the goodness of 인삼 (ginseng), chicken, and Sweet Glutinous Rice. This dish generally tones up the 'yang' energy of a person, that is, a tonic. It restores to the body the ability to recuperate with stress and to impart a sense of wellbeing.

Prolong usage of Ginseng, the Chinese said, will help one to slow the process of aging. Though miraculous, one must be careful of imitation. In the next post, I will post the way of selecting Ginseng root and how are they classified. This is definitely one of the way for consuming Ginseng and it is a very delicious way too.

Ingredients

• 2 Cornish Hens (or small size hen)*

• ½ cup of sweet glutinous rice

• 4 whole garlic cloves

• 4 Chinese date (red jujube) [Hong Zhao]

• 4 chestnuts [Ma ti]

• 2 fresh ginseng roots**

• 2 green onions

• small piece of ginger

• 8 cups of water

• salt, to taste (the less the better)

• ground black pepper, to taste

*If you are a Malaysian, opt for “Kampung Chicken” or “Malay Chicken”, supermarket or “Pasar Chicken” just won't do.

**If Ginseng roots are dried, soak in water for more than an hour until soft.

Directions

1. Clean the Sweet Glutinous Rice and soak in water for an hour.

2. Peel the chestnuts.

3. Take out guts from hens and wash well. Skim the fat as well.

4. Remove the seeds from the jujubes.

5. Stuff the chicken with the soaked rice, garlic cloves, jujubes, chestnuts and ginsengs.

6. Make a vertical cut on inner part of one drumstick, and take out the other leg through the cut. By doing this, drumsticks can hold inner contents of a hen. [an alternative is to secure the opening with ropes of natural fibre]

7. Dice ginger thinly, and chop green onions.

8. In a pot, pour water, place hens and add green onion and ginger. First boil the soup over high heat. When it is starting to boil, lower the heat to medium and boil for about an hour with lid on. [as with gas stove, I do not recommend the use of clay pot as it tend to absorb the gases, my mom told]

9. With a big spoon, take out fats that are floating. [there is an apparatus I get from pasar pagi Taman Muda that's scoop up fats like wonder, it looks like a very fine sieve and work on the principle that oil is more vicious that water]

10. Season the soup with a salt, boil for another 20 minutes and finally serve the soup with some salt and pepper as dip. In Korean Restaurant, the chicken is cut up for pleasant eating. Try cutting the chickens with poultry cutter.

However, a word of advice here. If you or those you are serving this dish cannot tolerate Ginseng, it is best not to serve this dish as this will affect them in a negative way. Ginseng is quite warming to some people and coupled with the ingredients in this soup, it is too tonic for good.