Yesterday I talked about the Chinese New Year promotion at Eu Yan Sang and the American Wild Ginseng Tea I bought. Guess what? Today’s lunch was American Ginseng Chicken Soup!
Of course, it’s not Eu Yan Sang’s American Ginseng Soup. 
I bought the pack of American Ginseng soup ingredients from a nearby herbal shop instead. Cheaper, that’s it.
At Eu Yan Sang, it’s RM13.80 per pack while the one I bought was RM6. Any difference in quality? I don’t know. Maybe I will give EYS a try next time.
Photo Credit for American Ginseng Chicken Soup
What were the ingredients in the pre-packed packet? Dried Longans, American Ginseng slices, wolfberries aka goji berries, Huai Shan aka Dioscorea Opposita and Yuk Zhu aka dried Polygonatum.
Let’s see the benefits of each ingredient:
Dried Longan aka Gui Yuan is said to have an effect on relaxation.
Wolfberries or goji berries are renowned for improving immune system and eye sight.
Huai Shan aka Dioscorea Opposita is said to be good for spleen, lungs and kidneys.
Yuk Zhu aka dried Polygonatum is … er, not so sure.
As the herbs came in one packet, I really didn’t know each ingredient’s weight. I just knew that the total weight of the ingredients was 100g.
Other ingredients to be added to this soup were a chicken drumstick, 500ml water and salt to taste. I totally forgot to add red dates! 
Instructions:
1. Blanch chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drained and set aside.
2. Rinse all the herbs with water, drained.
3. Place the blanched chicken and the ingredients into slow cooker. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours or longer to bring out the taste. Add salt to taste.
Updated at 4.05 pm: For those of you who are looking for the right weight for each ingredient for Ginseng Chicken Soup, here you are. I came across Amy Beh’s recipe while I was looking for a photo for the soup.
Photo Credit to Amy Beh’s American Ginseng Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
# 1 kg kampung chicken, skinned and cut into fairly large pieces
# 15g American ginseng (Phao Sum)
# 1 green apple, cored and cut into quarters
# 3 seeded red dates
# 1 tsp kei chi (woldberries)
# 800ml hot waterMethod:
1. Blanch chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water. Drain well.
2. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized crockpot. Cook slowly on high heat for three hours.
3. Serve hot.
