I almost forgotten about my Wolfberries or Goji Berries chucked aside one corner in my pantry cabinet, even since I used them here and here.
These berries are very versatile and you should not only limit or restrict them in how they are commonly used such as in herbal soups or in goji berry tea. Think out of the berry. When you are cooking your vegetables soup, stir them in. When you are stir frying your vegetables, add them in. You can even sprinkle some of these super-berries while you cook or steam your rice. For me, these super-berries flavored up my plain porridge/congee and made it antioxidant-rich, for the weekly ARF event taking place at Sweetnicks.
Wolfberry or Goji Berry has high nutrient richness and antioxidant qualities, giving them commercial status as a novel "superfruit". Berry nice.
Wolfberry or Goji Berry Porridge/Congee
Ingredients: Rice grains for cooking rice or porridge - for me I usually mix my white grains with red cargo grains.
How to:
In rice - when the rice is ALMOST cooked (about 5mins to the "Warm" button being automatically lighted up-from "Cook" in the rice cooker), throw in some goji berries. Your finished cooked rice product will have a tint of sweet flavor.
In porridge/congee - like how you would cook rice in the rice cooker, just add MORE water (2x-3x more than you would when cooking rice) depending how "thick" or "watery" you want the porridge to be.
Like most "porridge" people, I enjoy congee, or jook (Cantonese pronunciation) as a one-dish meal such as seafood porridge and pork porridge etc. More than that, I also enjoy porridge plain ~ Taiwanese or Teochew style, with side dishes such as steamed minced meat (aka steamed meat cake) and vegetables. Just as porridge is usually disliked by some because it reminds them of being sick or ill, I could never get sick of porridge . It's one of my comfort favorites, whether it's homecooked or eaten outside. Do you enjoy porridge or congee ?
And how would you use wolfberry or goji berry in your cooking ?
Other ARF entries:
Mango Slushy
Strawberries coated in deep dark chocolate
Salmon kebab or kabob
Tag: wolfberry, goji berry, antioxidant, rice
I have a bag of wolfberry but I hardly use it. I did put then into congee, but most of the time I forgot! You have reminded me to use them more! :)
ReplyDeleteI have them with my oatmeal for breakfast. they are supposedly good for eyesight too!
ReplyDeleteI only use them in herbal soups. Boring, eh? :-P
ReplyDeleteI love my porridge in any way. Even a bowl of porridge with a dash of soysauce makes me happy. haha.
Tiga - I got my big big pasta plate and a new napkin too....go eat at my blog.
ReplyDeleteWah! You put this into your porridge kah? He! He! I only use them for herbal soup and some stir-fries and some steamed stuffs.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a rice dessert ;-) I've never used goji berries before and I'll definitely have to try! Do they need to be cooked before using or just soaked in water?
ReplyDeleteI like to just pop them into my mouth. They are good for our eyes. I would also add them in soups and porridge, brew tea with them or use them in stir-frys vegies. :)
ReplyDeletei thought its used strictly for soup? i think ppl use it to cook dishes as well..steam chicken n fish thereabouts..congee? a new thing to me
ReplyDeleteAhh... the spirit of creativity! I think it'd be lovely in chicken rice too (don't laugh, folks!) since it tastes so good in chicken stock.
ReplyDeleteI should get a rice cooker/slow cooker and try this out... *slurps*
P.S. Have added you to my Bookmarks page. Hope that's okay --- your blog is addictive! ;)
ReplyDeleteI have a huge bag of goji berries in my pantry that keep getting pushed aside. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI like porridge too, it's some sort of a comfort food for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm another boring wolfberry user, I only used it in herbal soup. My husband actually doesn't eat this, so I'm wondering what would he do if I use it to fry my veggie? Hmmm...maybe I should try it and see his reaction! :P
hey Tigerfish,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that goji berry is ARF! Now that you mentioned, I think it makes sense. Afterall, all the berries are antioxidant rich!
So far, I only used them in chicken soup....Usng them in porridge is new to me. Will try it one day!
My parents put goji berries in tea, and my bf's mom puts them in dessert soups. This congee looks really yummy too.
ReplyDeleteanh, as much as I TRY to remember, I tend to forget about these berries too. :O
ReplyDeletestay-at-home mum, oatmeal? Do you cook them together with your oatmeal or sprinkle them raw ?
lyrical lemongrass, you porridge person arh? You reminded me of porridge and Bovril/Marmite now.
RM, *burp* ...satisfied :D
Yum Yum.
pablopabla, I seldom have herbal soup here mah, so have to find other means to use it. Oh ya ya, they are good in stir-fried and steamed stuffs.
wokandspoon, I think if you just soak in warm water for a while, it will do. In congee like this, these goji berries don't have to be cooked for long - just sprinkle them and stir them into before you are ready to dish out the rice.
ECL, pop raw wan or what ? Got soak in water first or not! Quick tell me leh! I also want to improve my eyesight!!!
"joe", nothing venture, nothing gain! Now I venture, hv gained a new dish to plain boring porridge ;p ...and some wt. too lah!
The only time I see goji berries served are when someone is undergoing an confinement period after the baby is born.
ReplyDeleteI remember eating it as a kid too, when I was getting through measles.
I think it was chicken pox, not measles. :-)
ReplyDeletehave you tried wolfberries added into chrysanthemum tea? they taste really good!
ReplyDeleteinstead of adding sugar, add these berries into the pot instead!
i like them icy cold!
ps try the ginseng chicken thingy and post it up! hehe... hmm ginseng with wolf berries i wonder can or not ah? hahah...
Oh I had no idea they were so healthy. thats why my Mom used to sneak those in my Fruity Pebbles cereal!
ReplyDeletekenny, hahhahaha...not laughing at the chicken rice thingey but laughing because I think it is a damned good
ReplyDeleteidea! Thanks for bookmarking me, I've linked you as well.
kristen, you're welcome :D
little corner of mine, ya ya...me thinks is comforting to eat porridge anytime. Hahha, I know some pple think these berries are unedible and pick them out purposely when seen in their food. :O
mandy, hahah...all (or most) berries are AR!! Only BlackBerry electronic device is not! Buahahah! LOL!
amy, I'm trying to recall if I've had dessert soups with goji berries. I usually see them in savory soups. Hmmmmm....
ming merciless, goji berries serve much more purpose than that...
ReplyDeleteIt's the first time hearing eating goji while having chicken pox...I'm surprised there are no myths going ard that if you eat goji, the chicken pox will leave scars that look like
goji :P
KM, you also very innovative hor...adding goji to chrysanthemum.
Ginseng and goji of course can lah...herbal soup loh!
steamy, they are they are. Lots of Vit.A and supposed to be good for the eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe ones I bought are natural and not treated with chemical like sulphur. Some unscrupulous vendor do that so it can preserve longer. If you see that the berries are yellowish, don't eat them raw. Wash or soak. aiyahhh... better don't buy that.
ReplyDeleteI just pop them into my mouth, no need to wash. But I have to freeze them or else they rot due to no preservative.
I got my berries from an old (more than 100 years of history) medical shop in Hong Lim. I must blog about this shop because they still use very traditional methods to treat their medicinal herbs. :)
I sprinkle them raw with oatmeal. they add some taste to that tasteless oatmeal.
ReplyDeleteECL, aiyo...my goji pack never say got sulphur preservatives or not leh! I never put in fridge yet still ok (not rotten yet)...so I better wash before I eat them raw. Thks!
ReplyDeletestay at home mum, sounds good :)
Change your thinking of goji berries. Look at them as exotic raisins instead of dried goji berries. This will allow you to be more receptive to the notion of using them in your daily cooking.Eat dried goji berries straight out of the bag. You can also add them to trail mix, oatmeal, or granola as you would raisins. Goji berries
ReplyDelete