Tasty snacks that will keep you well

The almond is one of the most loved nuts worldwide — crunchy, aromatic and versatile as a snack or cooking ingredient.

But in China, the literal translation of the name for almond — xingren — is “apricot seed,” and in the traditional sense, Chinese almonds are different from the more popular badam nuts with larger seeds that dominate in the snack world. They are smaller, denser and come from apricot fruits.

Besides consuming Chinese apricot seeds as a snack or a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, there are also different ways to incorporate the tiny nuts with unique taste and fragrance.

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The ‘almonds’ of north and south

There are two major types of xingren in China, the southern sweet apricot seed and the northern bitter apricot seed. The apricot seeds look familiar and both have a very hard shell but, in general, the southern xingren is larger, lighter in color and slightly more expensive.

The northern xingren, on the other hand, packs a stronger and richer flavor, and adding a small amount into a dessert made of mostly southern xingren can greatly elevate the flavor.

In TCM, bitter apricot seeds are considered to have warm and slightly toxic properties, They affect the large intestine and lung meridians, and are used to stop coughing and wheezing, and relieve the intestines and bowels.

Apricot seed drink is a very popular Chinese beverage with the benefits of soothing the lungs and helping if you have a cough. There are several ways to make the drink, one is to blend the soaked seeds with no peel with some water, sieve them and boil the liquid with milk.

The drink is usually enjoyed chilled in summer and hot in winter, packing a heavy fragrance of the apricot seeds. And the residue from blending the nut milk can be saved for making cakes and cookies.

The apricot seeds are also combined with walnuts, sesame seeds and more to create even richer beverages, and they are best to serve hot as the fat content from other nuts can become greasy. The apricot seed drinks sold in restaurants or as packaged beverages are usually seasoned with a high amount of sugar for a better taste.

Xingrendoufu, or almond tofu, is a traditional Beijing-style dessert made with apricot seeds. It’s actually a very healthy alternative to similar jelly or pudding dishes that involve heavy cream, and the almond tofu has a very smooth, silken and creamy texture, with refreshing light aromas of the sweet apricot seeds.

The special dessert is made of apricot seed milk and agar-agar or gelatin, and can be served with osmanthus honey for a better flavor.

In stir-fries, apricot seeds can present a mild sweet flavor while adding to the textural interest. An all-time classic recipe is stir-frying celery and shrimp with some apricot seeds which are boiled in water first to remove the bitter and astringent flavor.

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Ginkgo nuts

Plump, meaty fresh ginkgo nuts are a unique Chinese ingredient during the winter season. They are highly valued in TCM for their nutritional and medicinal properties.

The ginkgo trees make autumn streets breathtakingly golden. They can grow up to 50 meters in height and adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions. In Chinese, ginkgo is referred to as yinxing, the silver almond. Although the seeds of the tree are nut-like, their texture is actually soft, fleshy and chewy.

Ginkgo nuts contain rich minerals that include copper, iron, manganese and potassium, as well as B-complex groups of vitamins. But fresh or dried, raw ginkgo seeds are toxic and should never be consumed in large quantities or over a long period of time. This specific type of nut is rarely used as a staple food source like in other more common nuts and seeds, but in limited quantity.

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There are several traditional recipes to enjoy fresh ginkgo nuts, the easiest is to toast the nuts with salt after lightly beating them with the back of the knife to create a small crack (beating too hard can crush the nuts). It can be done in a pan, oven or more conveniently, in a microwave for two minutes.

The prominent saltiness complements the unique aroma of the ginkgo nuts harmoniously, and it’s a perfect savory snack to serve with tea or as an appetizer to pair with warm rice wine.

Shelled ginkgo nuts can be stir-fried with other vegetables, braised with meat, or boiled with white fungus and jujube to make a sweet soupy dessert for the cold winter weather.

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There’s yet one downside to working with ginkgo nuts — the smell. The outer pulp of fresh ginkgo nuts has a very nasty smell, and preparing a large quantity of the nuts can be an unbearable experience. The edible kernel is located in the center of the fruit inside a hard shell, and there’s a thin layer of brown membrane that can be removed by shelling the nuts and then blanching in boiling water.

Ginkgo nuts also have a tiny, soft pit inside that present a slight bitter taste, which can be removed when the bitterness is not desired, especially when the ingredient is incorporated in sweet dishes.

The fresh nuts can be stored at room temperature in autumn and winter for a week, but the smell can be quite disturbing at home. The shelled kernels should be used as soon as possible before they turn even more rancid. A large batch of the kernels can also be frozen for longer preservation.

The dried ginkgo nuts are more common as a TCM ingredient, seldomly eaten on their own and often part of formulas to tone the lungs and address asthma, bronchitis and leukorrhea.

Apricot seed tofu

Apricot seed tofu is a traditional Beijing-style dessert and snack that can be made in a home kitchen using simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

70 grams of sweet apricot seeds

250ml of water

250ml of milk

4 teaspoons of gelatin powder soaked in 4 teaspoons of water

2 tablespoons of sugar

Optional osmanthus honey

Steps:

1. Soak the dry apricot seeds in water overnight.

2. Put the seeds in the blender with 250ml of water and blend for two to three minutes, then filter through several layers of gauze to get the smooth apricot seed milk.

3. Pour the apricot seed milk into a pot with milk and sugar, bring to boil on medium heat and remove from the stove, then add the soaked gelatin powder into the mixture and stir well.

4. Refrigerate the mixture overnight or until it becomes tofu-like.

5. Slice in smaller cubes and serve with osmanthus honey drizzled on top.

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