Fortifying Chicken Soup with Goji and Jujubes (枸杞红枣鸡汤)
A deep golden broth, simmered for hours, where the chicken releases all its richness, softened by jujubes and lifted by gojis. The quintessential remedy soup.
A deep golden broth, simmered for hours, where the chicken releases all its richness, softened by jujubes and lifted by gojis. The quintessential remedy soup.
After weeks under the spotlights, the body claims its due — and then, no haute couture gown is worth a good broth. I take a whole fowl, ginger, a handful of jujubes and gojis, and let everything murmur on very low heat for hours, without boiling too hard, so the broth stays clear. At home they say such soup "rebuilds qi." I just know that after two bowls, my cheeks regain color and I become myself again.
- •Whole free-range fowl (or half) — 1 (umami base)
- •Fresh ginger — a few slices (warming, aroma)
- •Red jujubes (红枣) — a handful (sweetness, "nourishes the blood")
- •Goji berries (枸杞) — a handful (tonic)
- •Water — to cover (broth)
- •Salt — at end of cooking (seasoning)
Fortifying Chicken Soup with Goji and Jujubes (枸杞红枣鸡汤)
A deep golden broth, simmered for hours, where the chicken releases all its richness, softened by jujubes and lifted by gojis. The quintessential remedy soup.
Why this dish? The anchor sheet says: Fan Bingbing favored nutritious broths and chicken soup according to 中医 principles. This long-simmered soup, believed to "replenish qi" after exertion, is the classic home remedy for great fatigue — and long weeks of filming.
After weeks under the spotlights, the body claims its due — and then, no haute couture gown is worth a good broth. I take a whole fowl, ginger, a handful of jujubes and gojis, and let everything murmur on very low heat for hours, without boiling too hard, so the broth stays clear. At home they say such soup "rebuilds qi." I just know that after two bowls, my cheeks regain color and I become myself again.
Ingredients (period version)
- Whole free-range fowl (or half) — 1 (umami base)
- Fresh ginger — a few slices (warming, aroma)
- Red jujubes (红枣) — a handful (sweetness, "nourishes the blood")
- Goji berries (枸杞) — a handful (tonic)
- Water — to cover (broth)
- Salt — at end of cooking (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs and carcass (free-range) — 800 g (umami base)
- Water — 2 L (broth)
- Fresh ginger — 4 slices (aroma)
- Dried red jujubes — 8 (sweetness)
- Dried goji berries — 2 tbsp (tonic)
- Scallion (white part) — 1 (aromatic)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Blanch the chicken in boiling water for 2 minutes, then rinse to remove impurities (for a clear broth).
- Return it to a large pot with 2 L fresh water, ginger, scallion, and jujubes.
- Bring to a simmer, skim, then simmer covered on very low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Add the goji berries 10 minutes before the end.
- Season with salt only at the very end. Serve the broth in bowls, the meat separately or in the soup.
How it was made : "Slow-fire soups" (老火汤), emblematic of southern China but widespread everywhere, traditionally simmer for hours in an earthenware pot over low heat. Depending on the season and the body's condition, ingredients from the mild pharmacopoeia (jujubes, gojis, roots) are added, in the logic of 食疗.
The contemporary twist : Serve the clear broth alone in a Chinese tea cup as a "wellness" amuse-bouche before the meal, as in Beijing's fine-dining restaurants.
Fan Bingbing · Charactorium
