Quick n Easy - Goji Leaves Soup

This is one of my favourite go-to soups when I know that I will not have time to make long boil soups.  In my previous post on Boost For Your Eyes I wrote about the highly nutritious goji berries and that it's one of the superfoods for good eyesight.


Much lesser known is the goji leaves, which are also a rich source of lutein, lycophene and other antixidants.  Whilst goji berries have had its share of the limelight as a superfood and glamourised for its exotic origins and impressive list of nutrients, the goji leaves are almost unknown.  Many people actually think they are unedible.  That's good news because it means they are still dirt cheap.  You can buy a huge bunch for less than $3bucks.  And that's enough for like 4 servings.

Because the leaves wilt quickly under high heat, they are only suitable for quick boil soups.  One thing to note - the stalks have very sharp thorns, similar to the rose thorns.  So be very careful when handling them. 

The simplest version is to boil the leaves in stock and crack an egg (there are some recipes which call for salted egg), like the photo below.

But sometimes, when I'm rushing to prepare a quick dinner, I like to make this a one-pot-all by adding other ingredients to make it more substantial, such as meatballs, mushrooms and even dumplings.  Serve this one-pot goodness with hot steam rice.

Quick n Easy - Goji Leaves Soup

• One big bunch of fresh goji leaves, rinsed
• A handful of goji berries, rinsed
• A handful of dried anchovies, rinsed (make sure the black gut is removed)
• A medium size tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• Some meatballs (optional)
• A packet of enoki mushroom, rinsed and squeezed dry of the excess liquid (optional)
• Some dumplings (optional)
• A few slices of ginger
• 1 tsp oil
• salt and pepper to taste

One-pot-all

Enoki mushroom

Meatballs for the big people and fishballs for the small person

1.  Heat the oil and lightly fry the ginger until fragrant.  Pour in about 700ml of water and bring to a boil.  If you are making this a one-pot-all, then use about 1litre of water.  Add the anchovies and chopped tomato and boil for about 10 min.  Strain the liquid. 

2.  Bring the soup stock to a boil again and add the meatballs and dumplings.  Keep the soup boiling until the meatballs and dumplings have all floated to the top. 

3.  Pour the beaten egg mixture into the soup and keep stirring to prevent the egg from clumping.  Add in the enoki mushroom and lastly the goji leaves.  Use a ladle to fully immerse all the leaves into the soup and bring to a final boil. Season with salt and pepper and switch off the fire.  Serve immediately. 

Tip : I like to use a suitable size corningware casserole to cook this so that I can serve straight to table.  This soup is best served immediately so that the nutrients in the leaves are not destroyed by the heat in the soup.