Nuts, ginkgo nuts, dried

Dried ginkgo nuts are the seeds of the ginkgo tree, used in East Asian cooking, particularly Chinese and Japanese dishes, where they are often shelled, sometimes peeled of their thin inner skin, and added to congee, stir-fries, and soups, or skewered and grilled as a snack, sometimes served alongside chestnuts at festive meals. Their texture when cooked is soft and slightly chewy, with a mild, faintly bitter, starchy flavor closer to a chestnut than to a common tree nut, and their pale green-yellow color turns a deeper jade shade once cooked. They are typically simmered or roasted briefly before eating rather than eaten raw.

Buy dried ginkgo nuts shelled or in-shell from an Asian grocery, store them in a sealed container in a cool, dry place, and cook them before eating following traditional preparation. At 348 calories per 100 grams, they provide 10.4 grams of protein and 72.4 grams of carbohydrate, along with 33% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 21% DV protein, and 21% DV potassium, an unusual nutrient combination for a nut given the vitamin C content. Their low sodium, at 13 milligrams per 100 grams, makes them a distinctive addition to a stir-fry or soup when the goal is variety in a grain-and-vegetable meal.