Samgyetang

Ingredients

• 1 cup sticky rice
• 1 piece hwanggi, milk vetch root
• 1 piece eomnamu, prickly castor-oil tree bark
• 2 small young chickens or Cornish hens
• 6 small or 4 large dried jujubes, pitted
• 6 whole skinned gingko nuts
• 2 to 4 raw chestnuts, peeled
• 2 pieces fresh ginseng, or 2 large slices dried ginseng
• 4 medium cloves garlic
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
• A mixture of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground toasted sesame seeds, for serving

Directions

1. Put the rice in a medium bowl and add enough cold water to sit 1 inch above it. Let it soak for 2 hours, then drain it.
2. Rinse the hwanggi and eomnamu under cold running water, scrubbing with a clean brush to loosen any grit. Set both in a large saucepan, pour in 2 quarts (2 liters) cold water, and leave them to soak for 2 hours.
3. Move the saucepan to the stove and bring the liquid to a simmer. Keep the hwanggi and eomnamu bubbling gently for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, trim away the chickens' wing tips, tail, and extra fat. Clean the inside of each cavity well, paying close attention to any blood caught between the ribs.
5. Fill each chicken with alternating layers of sticky rice, jujubes, gingko, chestnuts, ginseng, and garlic.
6. With a paring knife, make a small slit in the skin on both sides of the cavity. Cross the drumsticks, then tuck the end of each drumstick through the slit on the opposite side, closing up the bird neatly without string.
7. Strain the broth to remove the hwanggi and eomnamu, and discard the solids. Add fresh water until the broth measures 2 quarts (2 liters).
8. Set the stuffed birds next to each other in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Pour the broth over them, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer gently until the birds are tender and cooked through, about 2 hours. If the broth does not completely cover them, turn the birds over midway through cooking.
9. Move each stuffed bird to a deep serving bowl or small earthenware pot, then ladle broth over the top. Scatter scallions over each bowl and serve with the salt, pepper, and sesame seed mixture on the side, so everyone can season the soup and chicken as they like.