2 quarts of chicken stock, or half stock, half water
5 oz lean pork
1 chicken leg (see Note 1)
Herbs and other ingredients
2 oz (54 g) of fresh or ¾ oz (20 g) dried ginseng (see Note 2)
8 dried red dates (jujube, or 紅棗), cored and rinsed
2-3 slices of ginger
¼ cup rice wine
1 tablespoon goji berries (杞子)
Optional ingredients
2 slices of dried astragalus (北芪)
4-5 slices of Chinese yam (dioscorea, or 淮山)
Instructions
Blanch the pork and chicken in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to remove any scum adhering to the meat. Transfer the meat to a 4 quart pot, preferably ceramic-lined. Add stock and water.
Rinse dates, ginseng, astragalus in cold water and add to the pot. Add the ginger, wine and dioscorea.
Bring to a boil then simmer for 3 hours.
While the soup is simmering, soak the goji berries in cold water. Rinse, drain and add to the soup to cook for the last 15 minutes.
Notes
Note 1. The rich meat broth required as the basis for this soup can be achieved by using both chicken and pork. Variations included using only chicken parts (about 3 pounds, or 1.5 kg), or a whole silkie chicken.
Note 2. A friend of mine combines equal parts American (花旗參) and Korean red ginseng (紅蔘) to achieve a balance of yin and yang. For this recipe use either or both. If using dried Korean red ginseng, try reducing the quantity to 10 g or less.
Recipe by Mom's Chinese Kitchen at https://www.momschinesekitchen.com/chicken-soup-with-ginseng/