The Wolfberries Recipe Galore...

After 3 months of either eating out of the box or consuming microwaved, processed and canned food, I had had enough. So I decided to do some decent cooking over the weekend. While rummaging my food cabinet, I found some packages containing wolfberries. So I proceeded to brew a pot of wolfberries and chicken soup. It tasted divine. :)

For those who do not know about this wonder fruit. Here is a little background of this humble fruit. Wolberry is a common name for 2 closely related plant species namely Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense. It belongs to the same plant family which consists of potato, tomato, eggplant, deadly nightshade, chili pepper and tobacco. (As it is a relative to the tomato plant, it is interesting to note that this fruit is called wolf-berry and tomato is called wolf-peach.)

This fruit comes with different names. Some of the notable ones are chinese wolfberry, barbary matrimony vine, bocksdorn, Duke of Argyll's tea tree or matrimony vine. In Latin, it is referenced as Lycii fructus, meaning "Lycium fruit".

This fruit is very well known in the East. In Mandarin it is called as gǒuqǐ. In Japan the fruits are called kuko no mi or kuko no kajitsu; in Korea the berries are known as gugija; in Vietnam the fruit is called "kỷ tử" , "cẩu kỷ" and "cẩu kỷ tử"; and in Thailand the plant is called găo gèe. In Tibetan the plant is called dre-tsher-ma.

In recent years, this fruit has been marketed under the name of goji in the Western health food market. Some of the companies even went out to name them with misleading names such Tibetan goji and Himalayan goji which in fact the fruits are totally unrelated to those geographic regions.

With the rapidly growing recognition of wolfberries for their nutrient richness and antioxidant qualities, the wolfberries has been identified as one of the exotic "superfruits" in the West. Such rapid commercial development is expected to grow into a multi-billion dollar market in the next few years. (I can see the marketers are rubbing their grubby hands gleefully now... :p )

Common research has shown that this fruit contains the following:-

• 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals (notably Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium)
• 18 amino acids
• 6 essential vitamins (notably B, C, E)
• 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
• 5 unsaturated fatty acids
• beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
• 5 carotenoids (notably beta-carotene, zeaxanthin)
• Numerous phenolic pigments (phenols)

In culinary practice,the fruits are often used in Chinese tonic soups, in combination with chicken or pork, vegetables, and other herbs. The berries are also boiled as an herbal tea, often along with chrysanthemum flowers. Various Chinese wines containing wolfberries are also produced. OK, enough of my ramblings. Here are some wolfberries recipe that I have compiled after researching the Internet. Enjoy... :)

Golden Lily, Bamboo Pith and Wolfberry Soup

This soothing soup is known to have "liver fire" and relax the nervous system.

Ingredients (serves 4):-

• 800 ml Vegetarian soup stock, or plain water
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 tablespoon Chinese wolfberries (L. Lycium chinesis)
• 50 g Dried tiger lily buds (golden needles)
• 6 pieces Black wood ear fungus
• 8 pieces Dried bamboo pith, soaked in cool water for 20 minutes

Method:-

1. Bring the stock or water to boil with the salt.
2. Add the wolfberries, and let water return to the boil.
3. Add the flowers, wood ears and pith.
4. Bring soup to a full boil, cover, lower hear and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Taste, adjust seasoning, then transfer to soup tureen and serve.

Spinach Soup with Wolfberries

Ingredients:-

• Heaped spinach - leaves & stalks (washed and trimmed)
• 1 cup Water
• 1 tsp chicken bouillon (can substitute with mushroom stock granules or garlic powder - for vegetarians/vegans)
• 1 Tbsp heaped wolfberries
  

Method:-

1. In a pan, bring water to boil.
2. Add the wolfberries berries into boiling water, then the stock. Stir to combine.
3. Then, place spinach into pan and cover with lid.
4. Allow it to simmer for about 3-4 mins.
5. Remove from heat and serve into a deep dish

Spinach Soup with Wolfberries (variation 2)

Ingredients:-

• 300 grammes of spinach (rinsed and plucked at the stems. Discard old or thick stems)
• 10 grammes of wolfberries (about 20 to 30 pieces)
• 100 grammes of minced meat (we use pork)
• 50 grammes of anchovies

Marinade (for minced meat):

• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce
• a dash of white pepper powder

Seasoning:

• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce

Method:-

1. Boil anchovies in water for 30 minutes to make stock.
2. Remove anchovies when done. Meanwhile, marinade minced meat.
3. Bring stock to boil again after removing anchovies.
4. Scoop minced meat into meat balls using a teaspoon and add into the stock. Cook till all meat balls float to surface.
5. Add spinach and wolfberries and bring back soup to boil.
6. Add seasoning to taste and serve immediately.

Chinese Wolfberries and Sea Bass Soup

Ingredients (serve 4):-

• 1 sea bass, cleaned and lines on both sides
• 50 g Chinese wolfberries
• 1 can button mushroom
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 5 slices ginger
• 5 cups stock (broth)
• A dash of salt
• 5 tablespoons rice wine
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

Method:-

1. Boil the stock in a sauce pan.
2. Smear fish with 1 tbsp of rice wine and a little salt.
3. Place fish in a microwave-safe soup pot.
4. Add in the wolfberries, button mushrooms, scallion, ginger and hoisin sauce
   
5. Pour in the hot stock.
6. Cover the pot with a cling wrap and the pot lid.
7. Microwave on high for 10 minutes.
8. Add rice wine and salt to season before serving.

Stir Fried Fish with Beans and Wolfberries

Ingredients:-

• 250g Fish slices
  
• 10 Sweet Peas, tips removed
• 1/2 handful Wolfberries, soaked to soften and drained
• 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1 Egg White
• 1/2 tablespoon Cornflour
• Oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 2 tablespoon Ginger Juice
• 3 tablespoon Broth
• 1/2 tablespoon Apple Cider or White Vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)

Method:-

1. Mix fish with cornflour and egg white.
2. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat 200ml oil in a pot.
4. Deep fry fish quickly; about 15 seconds and set aside to drain the oil
5. Heat wok with 1 teaspoon oil, stir fried garlic till fragrant.
6. Pour in the sauce except for cornflour mixture.
7. Bring to boil.
8. Add in fish, sweet peas and wolfberries.
9. Stir fry for a minute.
10. Add salt to taste.
11. Gradually add in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
12. Dish and serve.

Wolfberry Leaves Soup with Mince Meat and Salted Egg

Ingredients (serves 4):-

• 200g boxthorn leaves
• 100g minced meat
• 1 tbsp wolfberries
• 1 salted egg
• Pepper to taste

Method:-

1. Strip the leaves from the thorny stems, reserve and rinse.
2. Heat up a wok and fry minced meat in a little oil, breaking it into little pieces.
3. Add about a litre of water and bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer, before adding the boxthorn leaves.
4. Crack salted egg and cut yolk into small pieces. Add yolk to soup. Beat up white and add the mixture into the simmering soup. Scatter wolfberries on top of soup, remove from heat immediately and serve hot

Chrysanthemum Wolberries Cooler

Ingredients:-

• 2 - 3 tbsp dried chrysanthemum flowers
• ½ - 1 tbsp wolfberries (Lycium barbarum)
• 1½ litre water, boil
• Honey to taste

Method:-

1. 1. Put the chrysanthemum flowers and wolfberries into a teapot.
2. 2. Add freshly boiled water to the teapot and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Stir.
3. 3. Pour to serve. Honey can be added for a sweeter cooler. You can also chill this in the fridge for a refreshing cooler.

Braised Chinese Cabbage with Dried Scallops

Ingredients:-

• 30g (3- 4) dried scallops, soaked in sufficient water to cover
• 5-6 leaves of long cabbage
• 1- 2 slices ginger
• 2 slices ginger, julienne (cut into thin slices, then cut slices into thin strips)
• 2 litres of concentrated chicken stock
• 1 tsp rice wine
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp wolfberries (goji berries)
• Pinch of salt and sugar

Method:-

1. Rinse and soak the scallops till soft. Do not discard liquid
2. Steam the scallops in its soaking liquid on high heat, for about 15 - 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. Wash and drain the cabbage. You can keep the leaves in whole pieces so that they can be laid out on an oval dish later, or you can cut them crosswise into one-inch sections. If you cut them, then separate the harder stalk portion from the leafy portion.
4. Braise the long cabbage in the chicken stock. To do this, bring 1½ litres of the chicken stock to boil, add in the ginger slices and lower the cabbage into the stock, the hard stalk portion first, followed by the leaves, sitting on top. Cover, lower heat to a simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes.
5. To make the sauce, pour the steamed scallops and the liquid into a small pot. Add ½ litre of chicken stock, the ginger strips and bring to a boil. Season with rice wine and sesame oil. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Just before serving, add in wolfberries and turn off the heat.
6. Drain the cabbage and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the scallop sauce over the vegetable and serve immediately.

Chicken Herbal Soup

Ingredients:-

• Half a chicken, skinned and all visible fat removed
• 30g Yuzhu Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum odoratum)
• 20g Gouqi Chinese Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum)
• 20g Bei Qi or Huangqi Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus)
• 20g Huaishan Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposite)
• 20g Dangshen Codonopsis Root (Codonopsis pilosula)
• 20g red dates
• Ginseng (optional)
• 2 litres water

Method:-

1. Using a large sieve, briefly rinse all the herbs, drain.
2. Soak all the herbs in a dish with just enough water to cover.
3. Clean chicken well. Add to water in the pot and bring to a boil. Skim if there are brownish bits floating on the surface.
4. Add all the herbs, including the soaking water, to the soup. Bring to a rolling boil with medium fire for about 30 minutes. By now, you should be able to smell the subtle, pleasant herbal fragrance, not intruding at all.
5. At this point, lower the fire to just a simmer. An electric hotplate is easier to use as you don’t have to worry about the small flame blowing out. Simmer this for another 2 hours, for the goodness of the herbs to dissolve into the soup.
6. Check on the soup every now and then, stir to make sure all the ingredients are boiling in the soup and not left on top to “dry out”.
7. Taste it before adding any salt. The meat and some of the herbs can be served with some soy sauce.

Pumpkin Rice with pork stripes, wolfberries, portebello mushrooms, salted fish and butter

Ingredients (Serves 3):-

• A small piece of pumpkin, skin removed & cut to small cubes (about 150g without skin)
• 100g pork belly meat cut to thin stripes (can substitute with bacon)
• 2 portebello mushrooms (or a few shitake mushrooms) - cut to cubes (but not too thin)
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• Half large onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup of rice, washed
• Water to cook the rice*
• 20g butter
• 1 tbsp wolfberries
• 10g salted fish, cut to small bits

Method:-

1. Fry pork slices in wok.
2. When pork is entirely cooked on the surface, take out and set aside on a plate.
3. Heat butter in wok.
4. Sauté garlic, onions and salted fish till fragrant. Then add pumpkin, mushrooms and stir fry for a short while.
5. Add uncooked rice and fry till the onions are clear.
6. Add the stuff from the wok, wolfberries, and the previously cooked pork, to the rice cooker. Wait for mixture to cool first (about 15 minutes)*.
7. Add water. Cook in rice cooker.
8. After rice is cooked, stir and gently mash up pumpkin. Keep warm for a few minutes before serving.
9. Garnish & serve.

Bitter Gourd With Egg Fermented Black Beans And Wolfberries

Ingredients (Serves 2):-

• 150g bitter gourd
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp wolfberries
• 1 tsp fermented black beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic

Method:-

1. Cut bitter gourd to half (length-wise) and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Slice bitter gourd thinly. Note: If you want to reduce the bitterness, you can try rubbing a small amount of salt on the bitter gourd and then rinsing off the salt with water.
2. Heat oil in wok and stir fry garlic and fermented black beans till fragrant.
3. Add bitter gourd slices and stir fry over high heat for about 2 minutes.
4. Reduce heat, add wolfberries and continue to stir fry. When bitter gourd is almost cooked, pour the beaten egg slowly over the bitter gourd. Stir till the egg is cooked and dry. Serve.
5. Variation: Adding meat - You can also add some meat to the dish. Simply mix 100g of minced pork, a small pinch of sugar & Chinese pepper, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp light soy sauce in a bowl and leave for about 10 minutes. Add the meat after step 2, and try to break up the meat to small pieces with a frying spatula. You can stir fry till the meat is halfway cooked before adding the bitter gourd slices to continue frying.