Boiled Osmanthus With Gingko Nuts, Lotus Seeds & Foo Chuk In Milk

Boiled Osmanthus With Gingko Nuts, Lotus Seeds & Foo Chuk In Milk

1 pkt Fresh Gingko Nuts (100 g @)

1 pk Fresh Lotus Seeds (100 g @)

300 ml Fresh Milk

1-2 tsps Preserved Osmanthus Paste (Gui Hua Tang)

2 pcs Fresh Foo Chuk (Fresh Soya Milk Skins)

1-2 tsps Dried Osmanthus Flowers

Some Sugar (to boil Gingko Nuts)

1. In a small pot, put in the Gingko nuts and cover with some water (just enough to cook the nuts) When nuts cooked enough to your liking, add in some sugar to taste. Remove the nuts from the pot and set aside.

2. In a clean pot, pour in the fresh milk. Add in the fresh Lotus Seeds. Let the milk boils and add in the sweetened Gingko Nuts. 

3. Let the milk boils again for 1-2 minutes. Add in the preserved Osmanthus paste. Stir until the paste dissolves. If using the preserved Osmanthus paste, you don't need to add in any sugar. The paste is sweet enough to sweetened this dessert. 

4. Add in the fresh foo chuk. Reduce the heat and simmered until mixture reduced slightly.

5. When the Lotus Seeds are cooked, add in 1 tsp of Dried Osmanthus. Stir the mixture. 

6. Turn off the heat and let it steep for awhile wild the dried Osmanthus infused with the milk.

7. Serve in individual bowls either hot or cold and sprinkle with some Osmanthus on top.

Reasons why I used 2 types of Osmanthus because the Osmanthus Fragrans in the preserved paste was actually a white variety and larger petals. Due to the preservation state with sugar, the paste looked dull but still with Osmanthus scent. So, for the color contrast to this dessert I also used the orange-flower variety; Osmanthus Fragrans Aurantiacus which can be use as well if you can't find the preserved Osmanthus paste.

Note: If you feel that the lotus seeds is too bland you may pre-cook it with some sugar earlier. Beware that fresh Lotus Seeds cook faster than dried seeds. If you're using Dried Lotus Seeds, please pre-soak the seeds with warm water until soften ( I leave it to soak for 24 hours) and then boil it until tender. You can decide later if you want to add sugar for sweetness if using in desserts. If you're using it for savoury dishes, you don't need to add anything prior to cooking because the Lotus Seeds will absorb the sauce/gravy after the dish cooked.

If you can't find fresh foo chuk which is made from soya bean milk skins rolled up in small bundles you can use the dried version which you have to soak until soften and cut to smaller bite sizes pieces before cooking.

Nowadays, you can find ready cleaned & skinned Gingko nuts & Lotus seeds in small packets of 100 g. If you can only find Gingko nuts still in their shells, you have to crack the shells open and check for any spoilt nuts. Pour some hot boiling water over them and let it soak for few minutes or until the brown skins are loose. Drain, rinse under cold water and rub between kitchen towels to remove the skins off.

Variations: You can also add in some Lily Bulb petals, yam, sweet potatoes or chopped Waterchestnuts to have a crunchy dessert.