Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Wolfeberry (枸杞)

I often use wolfeberry in my dishes. E.g. I add them into my spinach soup, stir-fry 奶白菜, or in snow fungus dessert.

They have great medicinal properties. According to chinese medical dictionary, they are good for liver and kidney, and improves eyesight (and many more...)

The most famous wolfeberry in China are from Ning Xia (宁夏), which I happened to visit during one of my trips to China in Aug 2005. There are many "fake" wolfeberries" out there that claim to be from Ning Xia, when they are actually grown somewhere else.

One of the feature to identify whether they are truly from Ning Xia is to see whether there is a tiny white spot at one end of the dried fruit. This was told to me when I visited the farm there.

One easy way to consume dried wolfeberry is to eat it directly. They taste like raisins.
Another way is to add into chrysanthemum american ginseng drink. This is something you can make everyday, and it's good for your health!

Ingredients (Serving 1 person):
- 黄山贡菊 or 杭白菊 (7 - 9 flowers)
- 3-5 thin slices of American Ginseng
- 7-9 dried wolfeberries
- 5-7 small cubes of rock sugar
Preparation: Add all ingredients in a drinking cup. Add hotwater. Drink after 5-7 mins.

Make sure you buy "organic" chrysanthemum, or else chrysanthemum flowers have a lot of pesticides on them, which is definitely very detrimental to health!

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