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Preparation
30 minutes
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Processing
1 hour 10 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Pigeon meat has long been considered a nutritious type of meat often prepared as soup to enhance health. Today, let’s join TasteVN in the kitchen to make this herbal pigeon stew!
Ingredients for Herbal Pigeon Stew For 4 servings
Pigeon 1.6 kg (4 birds) Herbal medicine 300 gr (astragalus/goji berries/Job’s tears/lotus seeds/jujube) Wormwood 2 branches Ginger 5 slices White wine 200 ml Common spices a little (seasoning granules/soup powder/MSG/sugar)
Implementation Tools
How to Choose Fresh Ingredients
How to Choose Fresh Pigeons
- If buying pre-prepared pigeons, you should choose those that look fresh, with skin that is pink and not pale.
- If you buy live pigeons, you should select ones that are 10 to 15 days old because the meat at this age will be tasty and have the highest nutritional value.
- When purchasing, you should lift the pigeon’s wing and gently press with your hand; if the meat is firm, it indicates a good-quality pigeon. Additionally, press on the breast area to check if the meat is tender; the softer this part is, the tastier the pigeon will be.
- Avoid buying those that are pale, have a bad smell, or have soft and mushy meat. Also, you should not choose pigeons that are too small or too large, as the meat will not be as tasty as those of medium size.
How to Choose Fresh Wormwood
- When buying, you should select young wormwood leaves that are light green on the top and dark green on the bottom.
- Avoid purchasing wormwood leaves that are too dark green or too lush, as they are likely to have been sprayed with growth hormones, which are not good for consumption.
- Additionally, you should choose wormwood that is not wilted, yellowing, or lacking vitality.
Suggestions for buying various types of herbal medicine
You can buy a pack of herbal medicine including: Goji berries, Job’s tears, lotus seeds, red dates, and astragalus to cook this soup at reputable traditional medicine shops to ensure quality. The price of a pack of herbal medicine ranges from 50,000 – 100,000 VND/ 200gr (price updated on 10/05/2021).
How to prepare Pigeon Stew with Herbal Medicine
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Prepare the pigeon and herbal ingredients
After buying the pigeon, clean its feathers and then use a knife to cut open the belly and remove the internal organs, then wash the pigeon with water.
Next, to eliminate the fishy smell of the pigeon, mix white wine with 5 slices of fresh ginger, then rub it on the body of the pigeon, and finally rinse it clean with water and let it drain.
How to eliminate the smell of pigeon feathers
- Method 1: Use a little salt, pepper, crushed ginger with some white wine to rub for about 15 minutes, then rinse clean.
- Method 2: Dissolve vinegar and salt in the ratio: 2 parts salt to 1 part vinegar, then apply all over the pigeon, rub multiple times and then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
- Method 3: Rub a few slices of lemon on the chicken meat with a little salt, then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
After buying the herbal medicine pack, you put it in a bowl, then use scissors to cut the astragalus into small pieces. After that, rinse the herbal ingredients several times with clean water to wash away all the dirt, and when they are clean, you take them out into a basket.
For the mugwort, remove all the damaged and yellow leaves, then wash it clean.
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Prepare the herbal broth
Add 1 liter of water into a pot along with the cleaned herbal medicine, then cover it.
Boil for 20 minutes over medium heat to extract all the herbal essence, then add 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/3 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate, and 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning granules into the pot. Stir well until all the seasonings dissolve.
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Stew the pigeon
After the spices in the herbal medicine dissolve completely, add the cleaned pigeon. Cover the pot and stew on low heat for about 45 minutes until the pigeon meat is cooked and absorbs the flavor of the broth, then add the wormwood.
Cook for another 5 minutes until the wormwood is cooked, then season to taste and turn off the heat. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!
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Finished Dish
The herbal pigeon stew, when completed, will have an enticing aroma of mugwort and herbal medicine. The pigeon meat is tender, sweet, and slightly chewy, blending with the rich, sweet taste of the broth. This is a nutritious dish for you to cook to nourish your whole family!
Above is an article guiding how to make braised pigeon with medicinal herbs that is delicious, flavorful, and extremely simple and easy to make, which anyone can do. Wishing you success with this recipe!
* Refer to images and recipes from the YouTube channel Bếp Thủ Ngọc
