Another hot day in KK and I can't stand the heat. Keep getting flu in the mornings. I wanted to try out something other than yee mai fu chok or lo han guo. I went to Giant to buy some lotus seeds and to this chinese herbal shop in Damai to get some gingko nuts. These two are quite costly though but worth the buy. Gingko nuts are excellent for blood circulation and to ease lung congestion. In Chinese medicine, Lotus seeds are believed to "clear heat" (清熱) and are particularly nutritious and restorative to one's health.
the gingko nuts I bought weren't so fresh ! :S
The gingko nuts I bought weren't shelled yet as I could not find those packed ones. If you bought gingko nuts as such, shell them first with a nutcracker, then peel of their brown colored skin. Cut the nut into half and then remove an embryo-like structure in the middle. In Chinese it is called 'xin'. It is quite bitter and toxic. But for this soup I did not remove the 'xin'.
It is easy to make this soup. The ingredients are:7 red dates
1 cup dried longans
1 cup lotus seeds
1 cup gingko nuts
rock sugar
about 15 bowls of water
All you have to do is pour them altogether (after soaking for about a minute or so) and bring to boil. Add rock sugar during the final ten minutes or so. Boil for about 45 minutes.
I like it best when it is chilled overnight. Sort of the refreshing and cooling feeling when I drink it the next day :) - I guess now it is called a drink not a soup anymore!
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