Gingko Rice

Photo credit: Ginkgo trees of Jingu-Uji-kosakusho in Ise city. Mie prefecture, Japan.
Go into any pharmacy and check out the vitamin supplements counter. You cannot miss Ginkgo Biloba. Most people acknowledge the health benefits from gingko but have never seen the actual fruit and its nut.
The first time I knew gingko was when this pungent smell reached my nose one autumn day in Japan. I was walking under a gingko tree. The leaves are yellowing and twirling around everywhere, carpeting the pavement. I saw small rotting fruits under my steps. My friend who was walking together told me to collect the rotting fruits. That moment I thought she has some bad tasting mouth telling me to collect some rotting, smelly fruits on the pavement like some kind of hungry, homeless soul that wonders aimlessly in the park.
She strongly said the gingko seed is nice to eat and rather expensive in the market. Well then, lady, you picked those rotten smelly fruits yourself was on the tip of my tongue.

She was right. That was some 20 odd years ago but now I'm addicted to that nut.
I normally cooked gingko in my rice. Here in the picture is gingko and green peas rice.
Gingko rice with Japanese side dish
That was lunch. Baby potato with sesame and olive oil, some small fish (ikan bilis) with konbu (sea kelp), chicken with black pepper and white radish with taufu soup.

I just dissolve some chicken cube into the rice cooker with the gingko seed and some green peas.

Gingko rice with western serving

Here I served the rice with garlic fried chicken and mushroom sauce flooding the broccoli and baby potatoes.

It is quite easy to get the gingko seed in a can. The product comes from China, if you cannot get the fresh nuts.

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