Near my home there are lots of Gingko trees. Some bear fruits in the fall(inside the fruits are the seeds Ginkgo nuts which we call BAI GUO in my hometown).Some don't. I don't know why.The trees will all turn golden yellow in the fall and will fall off all the leaves for the winter.
Its fruit is a little bit smaller than the size of apricot,the color is similar as apricot.
If you take out the fruit meat, you will see the BAI GUO nut,white and hard. When it becomes dry and hard,it looks like a pistachio nut just without the opening. We will crack open the nuts,take out the soft seeds inside to use them to make sweet soup.
I saw this Gingko tree bearing so many fruits. I recalled in my younger days, my father used to make delicious BAI GUO sweet soup (白果甜羹)on the Chinese New Year Eve.Those warm and vivid memories rush up to my mind.
When it is approching to Chinese New Year every year, every family will start to prepare all kinds of goodies and good food for the New Year, we called it "Nian Huo"(年货).At my home, Ginkgo seeds-BAI GUO(白果) is one of them.
One day before New Year Eve, my father and me, my sister will start to crack the hard shells of the BAI GUO nuts,take out the seeds inside, each seed is covered with a brown membrane and the seed itself is yellow-white color.We put all the seeds into warm water to soak overnight. The next day is New Year Eve day, before dinner, we will make sure they are all soaked, soft,then we take out the brown membranes off, using a small knife to split half of the seed from the middle,take out the germs for we believe they are toxic.After that, rinse, soak in the clean water. It is ready to make a delicious after New Year Feast Dinner dessert-Bai Guo Sweet Soup.
After the big New Year Eve dinner, my father will start to make this sweet soup. He will put some oil first in the wok, put some minced green onion, when the oil is sizzling,put all the soft,soaked Bai Guo seeds into the wok, stir fried them until cooked, then put sugar,add some water, cooked for another while. Then it is ready to serve.
It is so sweet(it is not a too much watering soup)and the Bai Guo seeds have a special favour that I can't say. Anyway, it is so delicious that I will ask for more. I taste it slowly, catching all those special Bai Guo favour. For me, this is called a completed New Year Eve night.
Then by the time we finish the Bai Guo sweet soup, outside , the fire crakers is craking loud with children's laugh, with some firework display, the New Year is here.
That is my memory of my childhood Chinese New Year Eve and the Ginkgo Seeds sweet soup.
