Harvesting Ginkgo Nuts

On a cool, crisp day in November, I discovered a Ginkgo tree while walking through my neighborhood. Ginkgo trees are easily identified by their beautiful fan-shaped leaves. During autumn, you might also notice them by their offensive smell; an odor similar to a pungent cheese. If you are lucky enough to find one of these trees producing fruit, you can harvest Gingko nuts on your own; however, after trying this, you might decide it is worth purchasing a can for around $7.00.

Personally, I enjoy harvesting the nuts and getting inquisitive looks from passersby. Usually, I only use one Ginkgo nut per dish, so opening an entire can is wasted when preparing only one meal. Harvesting your own allows for freezing any unused nuts.

According to several online sources, there are precautions to take when harvesting Ginkgo nuts due to side effects from the chemical found in the flesh of the fruit. Contact with Ginkgo fruit flesh has been known to result in peeling of the skin and rashes with some people. Gloves should be worn when collecting the fruits, extracting the seeds, and while wiping off and rinsing the remaining flesh from the nuts prior to boiling or roasting them.

Once cooked, they are a delicious snack or great addition to Japanese dishes such as chawanmushi. While Ginkgo nuts have been rumored to have medicinal benefits, I have read that eating too many at one time can cause similar side effects to those described when touching the raw flesh of the fruit. I have not personally experienced side effects from touching or eating Ginkgo nuts, but I have also taken precautions when harvesting, preparing, and consuming them.

Because of the strong odor, I discard the fruit where I collect them. Once ripe, Ginkgo nuts are easily extracted from the fruit. I squeeze the fruit slightly until the nut slides out, and I collect them in a plastic bag. Upon arriving home, I wipe them off with paper towels and rinse them in a strainer under warm water.

I then leave them setting in the sun for two or three days until dry. Next, I boil them for about twenty-five minutes. Once boiled, I peel the outer shell, remove the paper thin, brown membrane covering on the inside, and slice one side of the nut to the center to remove the bitter embryo inside each nut. They are then ready to eat or freeze.

You can also prepare them by pan frying, baking, or microwaving them in a paper bag. The paper bag method takes only 1-2 minutes. If you pan fry them, you need to cover the pan with a lid because they will pop open, potentially causing harm to someone standing nearby.

Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi, a savory, steamed egg custard, is a common Japanese side dish that compliments a fall or winter meal. It normally contains shiitake mushrooms (I sometimes substitute with cinnamon cap or clamshell mushrooms), chicken or shrimp (or both), kamaboko (Japanese fish cake), mitsuba (Japanese parsley), and a single ginkgo nut. It also includes soy sauce, sake (Japanese rice wine), salt, and a Japanese stock made of fish and kelp known as dashi. You can usually find granulated bonito dashi in Japanese specialty shops or in a grocery store that has a section dedicated to Asian cuisine. It has a long shelf life and works well for this recipe since only a small amount is needed.

Ginkgo nuts can be a bit pricey, but luckily, I have found a gingko tree near my home. Check out my post about harvesting Ginkgo nuts.

Chawanmushi is best steamed in a special cup and topped with a lid once cooked, but a ramekin will also suffice. When cooking, it is best to use a steamer with a steaming tray. I’ve tried to make chawanmushi in a covered pot of shallow boiling water using ramekins when I was without a steamer, but it was scary—the ramekins rattled wildly and were difficult to safely remove from the pot. Therefore, I highly suggest using a steamer.  

To ensure a smooth final product, and prevent the collection of condensation on the underside of the lid from dripping into the chawanmushi, wrap the lid in a clean dish towel. Propping the lid slightly open with saibashi (cooking chopsticks) or a wooden spoon will also ensure your chawanmushi doesn’t overcook. This dish can be served hot or cold, but I have always enjoyed it hot.

The following recipe is from a YouTube channel that I frequent, Cooking with Dog. Don’t worry! It’s a woman cooking while her canine sidekick, Francis, narrates. The following recipe for two chawanmushi cups, which I use every time I make this dish, was derived from her recipe. https://youtu.be/g3HzuEQpyX0  

Sometimes I don’t have all of the ingredients and use what I have, as you will notice in my photos. It’s a pretty flexible recipe that you can add noodles or other vegetables to as long as you don’t overdo it. Less is more in this dish when it comes to the quantity of each item. It’s a bit of a treasure hunt when you eat chawanmushi. I recall being so delighted when finding a couple of tiny clams in my chawanmushi at my favorite kaitenzushi (rotating sushi restaurant).

Ingredients for two chawanmushi cups:

1 large egg
170ml cold water (.719 cup)
1/2 tsp granulated bonito dashi
1/2 tsp sake *additional splash for seasoning the chicken and shrimp
1/2 tsp soy sauce *additional splash for seasoning the chicken and shrimp
1/4 tsp salt
2 ginkgo nuts
50g boneless chicken (roughly 6-8 bite-sized pieces)
2 shrimp *tiger shrimp are easy to steam and have a good flavor for this dish
2 shiitake mushrooms sliced *cinnamon cap or clamshell mushrooms are a good substitute
4 slices of fish cake - kamaboko *cut the slices in half if you prefer small pieces
2-4 sprigs of Japanese parsley – mitsuba *watercress is a good substitute

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat 1 egg slowly to avoid bubbles and set aside. In a separate small microwave-safe bowl, mix ½ teaspoon granulated bonito dashi with a portion of the water and heat it in the microwave just long enough to dissolve the dashi. Add the dashi to the remaining cold water. It is important to not heat all of the water because it can partially cook your egg mixture in the following steps. Add the ½ teaspoon sake, ½ teaspoon soy sauce, and ¼ teaspoon salt into the dashi mixture. Stir the ingredients well and add to the egg. Pour the mixture through a strainer and discard the remnants of the egg left in the strainer. 

Boil the ginkgo nuts for 1 minute, drain and place 1 ginkgo nut in the bottom of each chawanmushi dish. Season the small chunks of chicken and/or shrimp with a splash of sake and soy sauce. I pan sear the seasoned chicken chunks in a pan until they are slightly browned on the outside, but some people leave them raw and allow them to cook only while steaming in the egg mixture. The shrimp should remain raw. They will cook quickly in the steamed egg mixture. If they are cooked too much, they will become tough and rubbery. Position the 3-4 bite-sized chunks of chicken, 1 shrimp, two slices of fish cake, and 1 sliced mushroom into each of the chawanmushi containers. If you substitute cinnamon cap or clamshell mushrooms for the shiitake slices, you can leave them whole because they are rather small. I usually add around 5 of them to each container. Chop the stems of the Japanese parsley into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces. Place a few pieces on top of the other ingredients in each container. Pour an even amount of the seasoned egg mixture into each container and add a couple Japanese parsley stems and a leaf or two to the top of the mixture.

Wrap a clean kitchen towel around the steamer lid. Preheat the steamer on high. Once the steamer is ready, place the containers, without lids, into the steamer on the top rack. Prop long cooking chopsticks or a wooden spoon under the lid of the steamer on one side to create a small opening for additional ventilation, and steam on high for 1 minute. Then lower the temperature to simmer for 10 additional minutes. It is ready when clear liquid appears after piercing the thickened mixture with a chopstick or spoon. Take caution when removing the containers from the steamer. I use an oven mitt to grab them. If you have chawanmushi cups, cover with the lids and serve immediately, with a small spoon.