What Are Ginkgo nuts and How Can I Use Them?
Ginkgo nuts rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 4 recipes to cook with them.
Key Points
- Small, jade-green East Asian seed that cooks soft and chewy.
- Tastes between sweet chestnut and edamame, faintly bitter and resinous.
- Always cooked and eaten in small amounts, since large servings are mildly toxic.
- Used in congee, chawanmushi, and vegetable braises a few at a time.
- Cooked chestnuts cover the texture; vacuum-packed ginkgo nuts save the work.
What are ginkgo nuts?
Ginkgo nuts are the small, jade-green kernels at the heart of the ginkgo tree's seed, used in East Asian cooking in small amounts.
Cooked, they turn soft and chewy with a flavor that runs between sweet chestnut and edamame, faintly bitter and a little resinous. They are not really a nut at all in the botanical sense, but they cook and eat like one.
They show up most in Chinese and Japanese cooking, and in Korean dishes too, often just a few at a time for color and a tender bite.
How to Use Ginkgo Nuts
Ginkgo nuts are cooked, and they are eaten only in small quantities. The kernels contain a natural compound that is mildly toxic in large amounts, so a handful is fine but a big serving is not, especially for children. A few per person in a dish is the norm.
The hard tan shell is cracked, then the nut is blanched or simmered and its thin skin slipped off, which also turns the kernel a brighter green. From there they go into soups, congee, and braises.
In savory cooking they tuck into braises and steamed dishes like Bean Curd Rolls and the slow-cooked Duck with Sugar Cane, adding soft, chewy bites. They are also a classic in Japanese chawanmushi, the savory steamed egg custard, where a couple of nuts sit in each cup.
They lean slightly sweet, so they also turn up in sweet soups and desserts.
Substitutes and Storage
There is no close match for a ginkgo nut, since its chewy texture and slightly bitter, resinous flavor are unusual. For texture in a braise or soup, cooked chestnuts give a similar soft, starchy bite without the bitterness. Edamame come closest on color and a green, beany note.
Fresh ginkgo nuts in the shell keep in the fridge for a few weeks, then dry out. Vacuum-packed or canned cooked ginkgo nuts are common and far more convenient, ready to drop into a dish. Keep the dried ones in a cool, dark place and soak before cooking.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 银杏果仁
- British (UK) term
- Ginkgo nuts
- en français
- noix de ginkgo
- en español
- nueces de ginkgo
Recipes using ginkgo nuts
There are 4 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Pork & Shrimp (Chow Gee Yok Har)
Chow Gee Yok Har is a Chinese pork and shrimp stir-fry with Smithfield ham, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, peanuts, and ginkgo nuts in a hoisin-soy sauce.
Buddha's Delight
Traditional Chinese Buddhist vegetarian stir-fry with wood ear mushrooms, lily buds, bean curd, bean thread noodles, and fresh vegetables in dark soy and sesame oil. A Lunar New Year classic.
Duck with Sugar Cane - Vit Tiem Mia
Vit Tiem Mia is a traditional Vietnamese braised duck wrapped in sugar cane, stuffed with peanuts, chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, and lotus seeds, simmered in coconut water until fork-tender.
Bean Curd Rolls
A classic yet tasty Chinese appetizer. Assorted fresh and crunchy vegetables are wrapped into bean curd sheets, and serve these delicious small bundles with some soy, sesame oil and chili sauce, yum.
