Wolfberry Leaf with Egg Drop in Chicken Broth

Wolfberry Leaf with Egg Drop in Chicken Broth

Wolfberry Leaf with Egg Drop in Chicken Broth

Tea Name:

Wolfberry Leaf with Egg Drop in Chicken Broth

Chinese Name: 

枸杞雞湯 (gǒu gǒu jī tāng)

Nature:  Warm

Taste:  Sweet, Salty

For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.

A delicious soup that is rich in the unique flavors of the wolfberry leaves.

The very neat thing about this soup is that the base is an old fire soup, while when adding the final ingredients, it’s a quick boil soup. This is a classic from my mother and she even grew her own wolfberry plants (in our backyard!) just for the sole purpose of making this soup!

What’s involved?

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 90 mins

Total time: 1 hour 45 mins

Serves: 8 bowls of soup

Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
  1. Prepare snail by thoroughly cleaning and rubbing it in warm water
  2. In a pot of hot water, blanch chicken, pork shank and snail
  3. Begin to boil your soup water and add conpoys and longans
  4. When water boils, add both blanched chicken and pork shank (this is the base of your soup)
  5. Boil on high for 30 minutes and then reduce to a simmer for another 1 hour
  6. Wash wolfberry leaves and set aside
  7. When ready to serve, add wolfberry leaves and boil for 5 minutes on high heat (or until leaves are soft)
  8. Slowly pour in scrambled eggs while continuously mixing the soup, boil for another 5 minutes

CHECK OUT OTHER SIMILAR SOUPS

Tips:

  • Start this soup as a long boil (the chicken soup base) and allow the flavours of the soup to come out (no wolfberries, no eggs)
  • When you’re ready to make the egg drop, scoop it out separately in another pot before you add the egg drop, this will help preserve the base soup and lasts longer (if you plan to keep it in the fridge)
  • Wolfberries leaf are quite distinctive in taste and boil quickly, if it’s the first time trying (or you have children), add it in slowly or a little at a time and taste it

GIVE YOUR LOVE OF SOUP.

FOLLOW US AND SHARE.

EXPLORE MORE

What’s the best way to blanch meats for Chinese Soups?

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO BLANCH MEATS FOR CHINESE SOUPS?(Do you use cold water?  Boiling water?  With ginger?  With instant coffee?  With salt?  What's the best way for flavour and taste experience?)One guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang...

Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht Soup

Soup Name: Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht (with oxtail) Traditional Chinese Name: 羅宋湯 (luó sòng tāng) Nature:  Warming Taste: Savory, sweet, and slightly sour For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Did you know the secret ingredient to an HK-styled...

What are good replacement ingredients for peanut allergies in Chinese Soups?

Here are suggestions for replacement ingredients for peanuts in Chinese soupsOne guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang theory.  In the natural world, there exists a balance between 2 opposing and co-existing forces and yet, they also exist...

Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht Soup

Soup Name: Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht (with oxtail) Traditional Chinese Name: 羅宋湯 (luó sòng tāng) Nature:  Warming Taste: Savory, sweet, and slightly sour For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Did you know the secret ingredient to an HK-styled...

ABC Soup in a Collagen Rich Salmon Head and Chicken Feet Broth

Soup Name: ABC Chinese Soup in a collagen rich Salmon Broth (with Chicken Feet) Traditional Chinese Name: 雜菜蕃茄三文魚湯 (zá cài fānjiā sānwènyú tāng) Nature:  Slightly cooling Taste: Sweet and savory For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Taking collagen to...

5 Tips for Exercising in the Cold (from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective)

5 Tips for Exercising in the Cold (from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective)One guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang theory.  In the natural world, there exists a balance between 2 opposing and co-existing forces and yet, they also...

EXPLORE MORE

What’s the best way to blanch meats for Chinese Soups?

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO BLANCH MEATS FOR CHINESE SOUPS?(Do you use cold water?  Boiling water?  With ginger?  With instant coffee?  With salt?  What's the best way for flavour and taste experience?)One guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang...

Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht Soup

Soup Name: Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht (with oxtail) Traditional Chinese Name: 羅宋湯 (luó sòng tāng) Nature:  Warming Taste: Savory, sweet, and slightly sour For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Did you know the secret ingredient to an HK-styled...

What are good replacement ingredients for peanut allergies in Chinese Soups?

Here are suggestions for replacement ingredients for peanuts in Chinese soupsOne guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang theory.  In the natural world, there exists a balance between 2 opposing and co-existing forces and yet, they also exist...

Healing Chinese Chicken Herbal Soup with Fish Maw

Soup Name: Healing Chinese Chicken Herbal Soup with Fish Maw Traditional Chinese Name: 花膠雞湯 (huā jiāo jī tāng) Nature:  Warming Taste: Sweet and savory For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  The star of this soup is FISH MAW.  This takes collagen to the...

Delicious One Pot Vegetable Vermicelli Soup for Dinner

Soup Name: Delicious One Pot Vegetable Vermicelli Soup for Dinner.  Literal translation from Chinese is "Mixed vegetables vermicelli pot soup". Traditional Chinese Name: 雜菜粉絲鍋湯 (zá cài fěnsī guō tāng) Nature:  Neutral Taste: Sweet and savory For more videos, you...

Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht Soup

Soup Name: Hong Kong Styled Russian Borscht (with oxtail) Traditional Chinese Name: 羅宋湯 (luó sòng tāng) Nature:  Warming Taste: Savory, sweet, and slightly sour For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Did you know the secret ingredient to an HK-styled...

ABC Soup in a Collagen Rich Salmon Head and Chicken Feet Broth

Soup Name: ABC Chinese Soup in a collagen rich Salmon Broth (with Chicken Feet) Traditional Chinese Name: 雜菜蕃茄三文魚湯 (zá cài fānjiā sānwènyú tāng) Nature:  Slightly cooling Taste: Sweet and savory For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube.  Taking collagen to...

5 Tips for Exercising in the Cold (from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective)

5 Tips for Exercising in the Cold (from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective)One guiding principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine is the yin yang theory.  In the natural world, there exists a balance between 2 opposing and co-existing forces and yet, they also...

Turn leftover rice into a delicious, warming congee with shrimp and yams

Soup Name: Shrimp Congee with Fresh Yams and Lettuce Traditional Chinese Name: 蝦粥 (xiā zhōu) Nature: Neutral Taste: Sweet  For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube. Want something easy?  Want something delicious? This is the perfect lunch to make in 30 minutes...

Making a Delicious Lotus Root with Vegetables in Pork Broth Chinese Soup (with Roasted Fresh Peanuts!)

Soup Name: Making a Delicious Lotus Root with Vegetables in Pork Broth Chinese Soup (with Roasted Fresh Peanuts!) Traditional Chinese Name: 蓮藕豬骨湯 (Lián'ǒu zhū gǔ tāng) Nature: Neutral Taste: Sweet  For more videos, you can follow us on YouTube. For this post, I made 6...

Wolfberry Leaves

Ingredient Name: Wolfberry leaves (also known as goji berry leaves, barbary matrimony vine leaves, bocksdorn leaves, Duke of Argyll’s tea tree leaves, red medlar leaves or matrimony vine leaves)

Traditional Chinese Name: 枸杞 (gǒu gǒu)

Yes, this picture is of the wolfberry plant!  It was grown in my mother’s backyard vegetable garden and for the sole purpose of soup production.  I used to drink this soup all the time as a child and it still brings back fond memories of my great soup past.  However, I never (and still don’t) enjoy eating the leaves, but they do make for a healthy and rich soup.  The taste is very distinct and it’s either you love it or hate it.  The Chinese say that the taste is very “golden”.

What is this?
  • Young shoots grow to be about 2-3 m in height with heart shaped light to dark green leaves
  • They grow in bundles with a very strong and firm bark or stem
  • A relatively easy plant to grow and are suitable for growth in most regions (they often grow wildly in fields)
  • They are slightly cold in nature and the leaves are slightly bitter to taste
  • Leaves are often used in Chinese herbal teas and soups (or as a leaf vegetable in dishes)

How do I prepare it?

  • Remove from stem and rinse in warm water

Where can I buy this?

  • Most Asian supermarkets will carry this produce fresh

What is the cost?

  • Wolfberry leaves are very affordable with a few dollars (CAD)  per large bunch

Any benefits?

  • Has an effective to remove heatiness
  • It aids in reducing thirst and has a calming effect on the body (thereby eliminating anxiety)
  • Extremely high carotene content
  • Excellent source of Vitamin E

Any precautions?

  • Some species of wolfberries and leaves are known to contain a toxic ingredient called Atropine (naturally occurring)
  • Not many concrete studies are available on the benefits of wolfberries and their leaves
  • Said to be slightly cooling, so precaution to be taken with women who are pregnant in their first trimester (as cooling ingredients cause contractions)

Additional Information

  • Fresh wolfberry leaves can keep for up to 3 days in the fridge

References:

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry#Leaves_and_flower