Black Chicken Herbal soup (乌鸡汤)

I have recently cook this soup which I can let my husband and my children consume without worrying whether is too much heatiness in the soup itself. I find it very nourishing and all my family members love it. I had found always a black chicken soup very rich in vitamins and a lot of heat, but this dish does not have so much heat in it yet is still herbal and easy to consume. I hope you will like it too.

Black Chicken Herbal soup - 乌鸡汤 (Serves 4)

1 whole Black Chicken

8 pcs      Red dates

50g        Lily Bulb

200g      Dang Shen 黨參

2 tbsp.   Dried Goji Berry 枸杞

5-6pcs   Dried Mushroom

1.5 litres Water

1. First blanch your chicken in hot water and let it rest aside.
2. Boil the water and add in all the herbs, let it boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Now put in the chicken and the mushroom.
4. Let the soup cook for about an hour and a half, then add salt to taste.

  

Dang Shen Tea II - (黨參茶)

Dang Shen or Codonopsis root is generally used to improve "Qi" and blood circulation. This is another version of  tea to improve my blood circulation and accordingly has also proven to reduce fatigue and enable the lungs to inhale better. It kind of moisten the lungs a bit. This tea can be consume every day or once in a week.

For more information about this tea do refer to this website: http://alternativehealing.org/dang_shen.htm

Dang Shen Tea II -黨參茶(serves 2)

3 sticks  Codonopsis root (Dang Shen/ Dong sam)

6 pcs     Astalagus root (Huang Qi)

1 tbsp    Chinese Wolfberries (Gei chi)

8            Red Dates

2 bowls Water

1. First wash all ingredients and put into a pot.
2. Add in the water and bring to boil; then turn the heat down to simmer for half an hour.
3. Now you can pour out the tea and drink it.
4. Again pour in 2 bowls of water and bring it to boil again; this time simmer it longer, drink it after.
5. If you are using a double boiler, set the time for 1 hour for the first, then 2 hours for the second time. You can drink this tea for two times in a day.