Jade coloured Gingko nuts

[MB]

There are some gingko trees standing on the square where I live. Those were
planted about ten years ago and about three years ago they started to bear
fruits.(only the female tree bear fruits, only two out of 6 standing there
bear fruits, so I assume that the rest is male. Or not?)
The edible part of so called gingko nuts is the kernel, just like walnuts.
The flesh around the stone has got truly gruesome smell. I wear rubber
gloves to pick them and be sure to wash my shoes before I enter the house.
Therefore I have no competition here to pick them. They are all mine.
Europeans have no idea what it is.
You only pick what fell on the ground, not the ones still hanging on the
branches.

Then wash the stones thoroughly under cold running water and add a handful
of salt and wash them again, drain them and dry them.
When you roast them to crack the shells open, there appears awesome opaque
jade green nuts which have got very difficult to explain texture. It is NOT
brittle like nuts. It is somewhat soft chewy toffee like feeling in mouth
and taste rather subtle.

I just eat them with sea salt. But sometimes put them in custard
soup(savoury), -rice with gingko nuts cooked together,$B!!(B-stir fry them with
boiled quail eggs, bamboo shoots, dongku(mushroom), hamai(dried shrimps),
$B!!(Bchess nuts and gingko nuts stir fry, -etc..

How do you eat them?

[DC.]

Hi MB,

I don't eat gingko nuts very often but the ones i see are always yellow in
colour & not jade green, i don't know why but maybe the fresh ones are green
& the yellow ones are older or have been dried or prepared in a different
way & are yellow or maybe it's a different variety. I don know but i thought
i'd just mention it. There is a gingko nut tree in London's
Chinatown(Gerrard
St) a few years ago but i haven't seen it recently, maybe it's still there
but i didn't notice it. The only other place i recall seeing gingko trees in
the UK are in gardens run by the RHS(Royal Hort. Soc.) like in Wisley or Kew
etc.

As for recipes, we normally cook gingko nuts in home cooking style dishes
where gingko nuts are added to stir fries with gravy. We call these dishes
'Lup-Lup' as in the Cantonese word for small pieces(Lup) as in 'Yut-Lup' 1
piece. The recipe is fairly simple, meat & veg. are cut to about the same
size, normally the size of 1/2 a thumb & stir fried with whatever sauce you
prefer. We normally use something like ginger, garlic, rice wine etc. & the
final dish is a quick stir fried dish of 'Lup-Lup' bits that can be eaten
with rice very quickly. We always use canned gingko nuts because it's easier
as it just needs to be drained & added into the stir fries etc. as they are
ready for use.

The other recipes that i know uses gingko nuts are mainly herbal soups or
broth such as black chicken & gingko nuts soup, oxtail soup with gingko
nuts, etc. these recipes are often made with gingko nuts sold in packets/
dried & need some soaking i think. The canned ones will probably fall apart
if boiled too long. Maybe the fresh ones you have might work with these
soups as they might give better taste. If you want these 2 recipes for the
soup, then please let me know & i'll write them up.

But here is a simple Chinese New Year recipe.

gingko nuts with baby pak choi & bamboo fungus.
40g bamboo fungus
600g baby pak choi
1 can gingko nuts

1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rice wine

Soak the dried bamboo fungus in water until soft. Drain & cut into 5cm
pieces & set aside. Next add the above salt, sugar & rice wine into boiling
water & blanched the baby pak choi like when you make Yao-Choi. Drain &
decorate the baby pak choi on your serving plate. Next pour 1 bowl of veg.
stock, a little salt & sugar & a dash of rice wine into a wok & bring to a
quick boil, add the bamboo fungus & cook for a few minutes until they turn
slightly translucent. Remove the bamboo fungus & decorate over the baby pak
choi, leaving behind the gravy in the wok. Now add the gingko nuts into the
wok with the gravy & cook for a few minutes. Pour the gingko nuts & gravy
over the baby pak choi & bamboo fungus & serve. I think this dish in
Cantonese is called "golden nuggets with lucky jade" = good fortune, may
your wishes come true & a smooth sailing in the new year etc..... or
something like that.

DC.

ps. MB,

i ate something very old fashion at Chartier rest. - je mange la tete du
veau !!!

Post by MB
There are some gingko trees standing on the square where I live. Those were
planted about ten years ago and about three years ago they started to bear
fruits.(only the female tree bear fruits, only two out of 6 standing there
bear fruits, so I assume that the rest is male. Or not?)
The edible part of so called gingko nuts is the kernel, just like walnuts.
The flesh around the stone has got truly gruesome smell. I wear rubber
gloves to pick them and be sure to wash my shoes before I enter the house.
Therefore I have no competition here to pick them. They are all mine.
Europeans have no idea what it is.
You only pick what fell on the ground, not the ones still hanging on the
branches.
Then wash the stones thoroughly under cold running water and add a handful
of salt and wash them again, drain them and dry them.
When you roast them to crack the shells open, there appears awesome opaque
jade green nuts which have got very difficult to explain texture. It is NOT
brittle like nuts. It is somewhat soft chewy toffee like feeling in mouth
and taste rather subtle.
I just eat them with sea salt. But sometimes put them in custard
soup(savoury), -rice with gingko nuts cooked together,$B!!(B-stir fry them with
boiled quail eggs, bamboo shoots, dongku(mushroom), hamai(dried shrimps),
$B!!(Bchess nuts and gingko nuts stir fry, -etc..
How do you eat them?

[PE]

Post by MB
There are some gingko trees standing on the square where I live. Those were
planted about ten years ago and about three years ago they started to bear
fruits.(only the female tree bear fruits, only two out of 6 standing there
bear fruits, so I assume that the rest is male. Or not?)
The edible part of so called gingko nuts is the kernel, just like walnuts.
The flesh around the stone has got truly gruesome smell. I wear rubber
gloves to pick them and be sure to wash my shoes before I enter the house.
Therefore I have no competition here to pick them. They are all mine.
Europeans have no idea what it is.
You only pick what fell on the ground, not the ones still hanging on the
branches.
Then wash the stones thoroughly under cold running water and add a handful
of salt and wash them again, drain them and dry them.
When you roast them to crack the shells open, there appears awesome opaque
jade green nuts which have got very difficult to explain texture. It is NOT
brittle like nuts. It is somewhat soft chewy toffee like feeling in mouth
and taste rather subtle.
I just eat them with sea salt. But sometimes put them in custard
soup(savoury), -rice with gingko nuts cooked together,$B!!(B-stir fry
them
with
boiled quail eggs, bamboo shoots, dongku(mushroom), hamai(dried shrimps),
$B!!(Bchess nuts and gingko nuts stir fry, -etc..
How do you eat them?

Hi MB,

I only know that Ginkgo nuts are usually used in soups that simmer for
hours. I also know of a simple desert called "bak gor fu juk tong sui"
ginkgo nuts with dried tofu skin boiled in water and sugar until they are
soft.

Do you know that Ginkgo leaves are of even greater medincinal use? The
extract of them are good for memory, because it improves blood circulation,
allowing blood flows to the extremities in the brain. I am buying from Boots
chemist in UK, off the counter tablets which are extracts of Ginkgo leaves
called Ginkgo Biloba. A neuro specialist (doctor) once recommended casually
(not fee paying consultation) to my sister. The other day on CCTV9, the
Travelogue program on Wu Dong Shan (mo dong san in Cantonese, for those who
know about Chinese kongfu histroy), the herbalist there also briefly
mentioned the medicinal uses of Ginkgo. There is an interesting website on
Ginkgo http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/ .

Theresa

[Bee]

Post by PE
I only know that Ginkgo nuts are usually used in soups that simmer for
hours....The extract of them are good for memory, because it improves
blood circulation, allowing blood flows to the extremities in the brain.
There is an interesting website on Ginkgo
http://www.xs4all.nl/~kwanten/

Yes. :o) I remember Mo Dong San. Interesting link, PE.

The ginkgo nuts I had when small were in medicinal broths/soups. They could
be in the Braised Pigeon in Sandy Pot I wrote about in a recent thread. I
don't recall having these in regular meals. If my memory is correct, they
were rather like largish peanuts but more rubbery. Can't remember the taste
now.

For those not sure what ginkgo is, here is a concise but thoroughly
informative article on the tree and the medicinal use of its leaves and
nuts. A facinating history too.
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/ginkgo.htm
The tree. Ginkgo trees in Tokyo.
http://www.lifequestherbs.com/memory.html
The nuts in yellow and in green. Note its Japanese name.
http://www.hanaichi.co.jp/catalog_13.html middle row
It's always known to me as Bai Guo, as to DC. Note the Chinese name.
http://www.lifequestherbs.com/memory.html 2/5 down the page

About 5 years ago, ginkgo biloba began to become popular as a herbal
medicine in the West. I even started giving my mother 'Ginkgo+Ginseng
tablets' (from that widely advertised supplement firm in tax exampted
Guernsey) one tablet twice a day for improving memory (I am taking the
remaining packs for myself now!). However, later there were reports of
ginko biloba thinning the blood and promoting bleeding ( the worst cases
were in the brain) if taken in large doses, in long term administration, in
combination of blood thinning medication (e.g. Warfarin, the 'rat poison'),
and in susceptable individuals.

Bee.

[DC.]

<snip>

Post by Bee
Yes. :o) I remember Mo Dong San. Interesting link, PE.

Any Shaolin kungfu movie fan from the days of ShawBrothers will have heard
of Wu Dong Shan! by the way... what happened to SB? i know they(2 brothers)
passed away but did that kill off the whole SB movie empire too? i haven't
seen any SB films in years. My favourite memories of SB... a little funny it
was too! was at the beginning of any SB movies, they will have their logo,
that Big, golden coloured wheel turning with the SB characters in the middle
& the projectionists will turn the volumn up so loud that... it made
everyone wake up or jump out of their seats! LOL, those were the days! SB
rules!

<snip>

Post by Bee
If my memory is correct, they
were rather like largish peanuts but more rubbery. Can't remember the taste
now.

Oh dear, Bee... memory fading? quick eat more gingko! ; )

<snip>

Post by Bee
It's always known to me as Bai Guo, as to DC. Note the Chinese name.
http://www.lifequestherbs.com/memory.html 2/5 down the page

OK thanks Bee, i see 'Ching'/green gingko nuts. I wonder why they're green?
is it another variety? I've also had a look at the next link below which
gives the following

- improves poor cerebral circulation, anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory,
used to improve memory and to reduce the possibility of stroke, useful for
the treatment of senile dementia, helps with mental alertness and
orientation, improves blood flow to the ears and to the eyes.

Just what the doctor ordered, how did you know i was suffering from senile
dementia? Hwahahaaaa... ; )

DC.

[MB]

<snip>

Post by DC.

Post by Bee
It's always known to me as Bai Guo, as to DC. Note the Chinese name.
http://www.lifequestherbs.com/memory.html 2/5 down the page

OK thanks Bee, i see 'Ching'/green gingko nuts. I wonder why they're green?
is it another variety? I've also had a look at the next link below which
gives the following
DC.

As you also can see in the photos of I posted that the shell of gingko nuts
is white. As I washed them and dried them, I do really see the shell colour
difference between other nuts sorts. The Chinese word "Bai Guo" means
literally "white nuts".
When gingko nuts just harvested they are all green, as days pass they get
yellowish.

Post by DC.

Post by Bee
The nuts in yellow and in green. Note its Japanese name.
http://www.hanaichi.co.jp/catalog_13.html middle row

This Japanese company site shows prepared preserved gingko nuts and other
vegetables sorted out for the purposes (mainly for the restaurants).

To be able to keep the freshness of the nuts (still in shell), after drying
them for a couple of days I keep them in an airtight container and keep them
chilled. "chilled" ---- 0 degree C.

I think those nuts used for soup are completely dried stored away gingko
nuts.
Fresh gingko nuts when raw its colour is creamy pale green, when they are
heated (roasted in shells, shelled and boiled) they turn jade green.

MB

[DC.]

<snip>

Post by MB
When gingko nuts just harvested they are all green, as days pass they get
yellowish.

OK i understand now, they are all the same, i thought maybe there were
different varieties.

Post by MB
I think those nuts used for soup are completely dried stored away gingko
nuts.
Fresh gingko nuts when raw its colour is creamy pale green, when they are
heated (roasted in shells, shelled and boiled) they turn jade green.

Thanks for the info. I shall look out for gingko trees in the UK & wait
eagerly like a monkey for nuts! ; )

DC.

[MB]

I posted some photos to alt.binaries.food

MB

[DC.]

Hi MB,

Thanks for posting the images. Nice to see a different type of gingko nuts.
The ones i know & eaten are the yellow ones & they are also rounder. The
jade green ones you have look more like grapes! they look soft too... have
you tried making soups with them yet? i'm just curious to know how well they
do in soups as they look soft to me like grapes & i imagine they might fall
apart.

For those who can't get binaries group, i've uploaded the images to my yahoo
photos gallery page
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/displaced_chinaman/my_photos so you can
all see the 3 images that MB posted over at a.b.f.

DC.

Post by MB
I posted some photos to alt.binaries.food
MB