Yen Can Cook: Cordyceps Flowers & Chinese Yam Black Chicken Soup
This is my first time using black chicken for my boiled soup.
Black chicken, an odd looking food with the meat, bones, and skin are all black. Its size is much smaller than a regular chicken and slightly “gamey” in taste but it offers higher levels of nutrients such as iron and antioxidants (Carnosine). Its fat content also lower than regular chicken.
Another ingredient I used was Cordyceps Flowers (Cordyceps Militaris) 虫草花. It is a type of parasitic fungus and its medicinal value is similar to that of the much more expensive Cordyceps Sinensis 冬虫夏草. It is thought to provide an array of therapeutic benefits such as protect the lungs, nourish the kidney, increase blood production, anti-depressant, anti-aging and anti-bacterial properties. It is also known medicinally to be a strong anticancer and anti-asthmatic agent.
Ingredients (Serve: 3-4)
1 black chicken, remove the head and cut into pieces, clean thoroughly
20g Cordyceps Flower, soak in water until slightly soften
20g Dried Chinese Yam 淮山/山 or fresh Chinese Yam, roughly 400g
Handful of wolfberries (Goji)
2500ml water
Salt to season
3-4 slices of ginger
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
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Step 1: Put the chicken, ginger and cooking wine into a pot of water and bring to a boil, to remove blood and impurities. Remove, drain and set aside.
Step 2: Put all the ingredients (except wolfberries & salt) into a pot and add in water until enough to immerse all the ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower the heat and let the soup simmer for 2-3 hours.
Step 3: Add in woldberries and boil for another 5 minutes. Add salt to taste & serve.
HAPPY COOKING!
Very traditional kind of nourishing soup. I have seen black chicken but have never bought it.
PH, It’s my first time bought black chicken and I have to admit I still prefer normal chicken as I found the black chicken is a bit gamey in taste even the broth was tainted with that flavor >_<
I know very well how high nutrients are contained inside these black chickens but I always felt funny and pitiful to see the small black chickens in the soups.
My wife studied TCM and advised her relatives just to drink the soup and not to eat the chicken otherwise it would have reverse effects.
TM, Thanks for enlighten me on not to consume the black chicken but actually the chicken became quite mushy after long hours of boiling and cannot be eaten.
This is a very nourishing soup. Soups made with black chicken taste really good like this one you’ve made. Sometimes I just use gojiberries with black chicken…and it’ll still taste dynamite! 😉
Kris, To be honest I don’t like black chicken, it has a gamey taste that I not fancy 🙁
super-healthy soup! and i’m sure it tastes super-yummy too! 🙂
Sean, not bad 😛
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