Ginger and Jujube Chicken Soup for Cold Months

A clear chicken soup simmered with ginger, jujubes and garlic. The app tags it Fire and Earth with a warm nature, for autumn and winter, and it takes about 60 minutes in all.

Elements	Fire · Earth
Good in	autumn, winter
Suits	a cold-running constitution
Serves	2 · 60 min

Fire and Earth in one pot

Ginger carries the Fire (火) of the pot. The app describes its spicy heat as Fire that warms the body. Jujubes, the small red dates of Korean cooking, count twice: red for Fire and sweet for Earth (土), and the app says they warm the middle.

Chicken thigh is the Earth base, described in the app as warm in nature and filling. Garlic brings a pungent Metal (金) note that gives the broth its clean, savoury edge. Put together, the pot follows the generating cycle: Fire gives birth to Earth (火生土), so the warming ginger and jujube are read as feeding the Earth of the meat and broth.

Ingredients of Ginger and Jujube Chicken Soup (Dak-gomtang) and the element the app gives each
Ingredient	Amount	Element
Chicken thigh	400 g	Earth
Ginger	1 knob	Fire
Jujubes (Korean red dates)	6	Fire + Earth
Garlic	5 cloves	Metal

Season and body type

The app lists this soup for autumn and winter. Its nature is warm, and the tradition says warm dishes suit a cold constitution, someone who often has cold hands or feels chilly. The long, gentle simmer is part of the idea: slow heat for the cold half of the year.

This dish at a glance (haru app data)
Item	Value
Elements	Fire (火) + Earth (土)
Nature	warm
Suits (tradition)	cold constitution
Seasons	autumn, winter
Time	60 minutes
Serves	2

Swaps the app suggests

If an ingredient is missing or does not suit you, the app offers these alternatives, each with its own element:

Shiitake mushrooms and tofu (200 g each) instead of Chicken thigh (Earth): Light, plain Earth.
White part of spring onion (1 stalk) instead of Ginger (Metal): A fragrant, warming note.

Ingredients

Chicken thigh 400 g (Earth)
Warm in nature; read as filling the body with energy.
Ginger 1 knob (Fire)
Spicy Fire that warms the body.
Jujubes (Korean red dates) 6 (Fire, Earth)
Red Fire and sweetness that warm the middle.
Garlic 5 cloves (Metal)
Pungent Metal that sets the taste of the broth.

How to make it

Blanch the chicken once in boiling water and rinse.
Put the chicken, ginger, jujubes and garlic in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 more minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

Questions

Why blanch the chicken first?

A quick blanch removes scum and excess fat, so the finished broth stays clear.

Can I use a whole chicken?

The app recipe uses 400 g of thigh meat for 2 servings. A whole chicken works too, with more water and a longer simmer.

Is there a meat-free version?

The app suggests 200 g each of shiitake mushrooms and tofu. The soup stays Earth-based and becomes lighter.

Solar terms in this season

Liqiu Chushu Bailu Qiufen Cold Dew Frost Descent Start of Winter Minor Snow Major Snow Winter Solstice Minor Cold Major Cold

Yin-Yang and the Five Elements: The FoundationWhat yin-yang and the five elements mean in the East Asian calendar, how ten stems and twelve branches are sorted by them, and how a chart is counted.The Generating and Controlling Cycles of the Five ElementsHow the five elements feed one another in the generating cycle and keep one another in check in the controlling cycle, with two real days worked out.Start of Winter (立冬, Lidong): Dates, Kimjang and the 亥 MonthStart of Winter (立冬) begins on 7 November 2026 at 18:52 KST and opens the 亥 month. Read its meaning, the kimjang season and early-winter habits.Beef Seaweed Soup (Miyeokguk) and Its ElementsKorean beef and seaweed soup in 35 minutes: 15 g dried seaweed, 150 g beef, 6 cups water. A warm Water and Earth soup for autumn, winter and spring.Sweet Red Bean Porridge (Danpatjuk) for WinterSweet red bean porridge: 1 cup red beans simmered 40 minutes, thickened with glutinous rice flour. A warm Fire and Earth bowl for winter and autumn.

See it for your chart → Open Haru

Traditional Four Pillars (myeongni) and yin-yang five-element interpretation. Not a medical diagnosis or advice.