Goji Berries  have more vitamin C pound for pound than oranges. Scientifically controlled studies using vitamin C for colds show that it can reduce the severity of cold symptoms, acting as a natural antihistamine. The vitamin may be useful for allergy control for the same reason: It may reduce histamine levels. By giving the immune system one of the important nutrients it needs, extra vitamin C can often shorten the duration of the cold as well.

As an important factor in collagen production, vitamin C is useful in wound healing of all types. From cuts and broken bones to burns and recovery from surgical wounds, vitamin C taken orally helps wounds to heal faster and better. I love using the dried goji berries in a salad for zap flavour and healthier salad.

What are goji berries? Other Names: Lycium barbarum, wolfberry, gou qi zi, Fructus lycii, simililar to Barberry.

Goji berries grow on an evergreen shrub found in temperate and subtropical regions in China, Mongolia and in the Himalayas in Tibet. They are in the nightshade (Solonaceae) family.

Goji berries are usually found dried. They are shriveled red berries that look like red raisins.

Ingredients:
1 quart  milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup sugar, divided use
1 cup goji berries
2/3 cup Dutch process cocoa
1/2 cup dark rum 

8 oz semisweet 84% cocoa chocolate, chopped*
8 egg yolks
2 teaspoon vanilla paste
pink sea salt

*Dagoba xocolatl with crushed cocoa nib and fresh ground smoked chile powder

Method
In a small glasds bowl, soak the goji berries in the rum. Sit aside.

 Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, milk and cream in a bain de Marie until the sugar dissolves and the mixture almost boils, about 3-5 minutes.

 Whisk together 1/2 cup sugar and the egg yolks until it forms a ribbon and is yellow and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add about a 1 cup of the cream mixture into the eggs and whisk to combine.

Pour the egg/cream mixture  into the cream mixture on the stove.

Whisk in cocoa, vanilla paste and a pinch of sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7-9 minutes or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate.

 Strain mixture into a bowl.

Drain the goji berries and stir them in. Allow to cool on the counter then cover and place in the refrigerator to cool completely then pour into a ice cream maker and churn until cold and set.Place in a freeze-safe container and freeze until solid. Serve with a sprinkling of pink sea salt.
Why do people use goji berries?Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:

• protect the liver
• help eyesight
• improve sexual function and fertility
• strengthen the legs
• boost immune function
• improve circulation
• promote longevity

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.

One of zeaxanthin's key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65.

In recent years, goji juice has become popular as a health beverage. Companies marketing goji juice often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen consumed goji berries daily and lived to be 252 years old. Marketers also list extensive health benefits of goji juice, even though there are few published clinical trials in humans.

What research has been done on goji berries?

Goji has only been tested on humans in two published studies. A Chinese study published in the Chinese Journal of Oncology in 1994 found that 79 people with cancer responded better to treatment when goji was added to their regimen.

There have been several test tube studies that show that goji berry contains antioxidants and that goji extracts may prevent the growth of cancer cells, reduce blood glucose, and lower cholesterol levels. However, that doesn't necessary mean that goji will have the same benefits when taken as a juice or tea.

soybean, mustard greens, goji berries, tofu skin salad

 Although goji berries like the ones used in traditional Chinese medicine aren't very expensive, goji juice is very pricey. Considering that a 32-ounce bottle of goji juice (about an 18-day supply) can run as high as $50 USD, the evidence isn't compelling enough at this time to justify the cost of goji juice.

Also, we don't know the side effects of regular goji consumption, or whether it will interfere with treatments or medications.

What do goji berries taste like?

Goji berries have a mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet and sour. They have a similar shape and chewy texture as raisins.

Common forms

In traditional Chinese medicine, goji berries are eaten raw, brewed into a tea, added to Chinese soups, or made into liquid extracts.

Goji berry ad chrysanthemum tea

Goji juice is also available, usually in 32-ounce bottles.

Goji berries have appeared in snack foods in North America. For example, the health food store Trader Joe's sells a goji berry trail mix.

Possible drug interactions

Goji berries may interact with anticoagulant drugs (commonly called "blood-thinners"), such as warfarin (Coumadin®). There was one case report published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy of a 61-year old woman who had an increased risk of bleeding, indicated by an elevated international normalized ratio (INR). She had been drinking 3-4 cups daily of goji berry tea. Her blood work returned to normal after discontinuing the goji berry tea.

Zereshk Polo
Make It Persian Night

Serves: 4 to 6

4 cups (32 oz) basmati or long-grain rice
1/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 split chicken breasts, skin removed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup (8 oz) dried barberries (also known as Zereshk) or dried cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp powdered saffron

1. Rinse rice 3 times, then soak in warm water with 1/4 cup salt for 5 hours. Drain.

2. In a large (8 qt) pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add rice and cook 8 to 10 minutes until slightly soft. Drain in a colander.

3. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add chicken, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 hour until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Pull meat off bones; cut in 2 in. pieces and return to leftover cooking broth. Cover to keep warm.

4. Rinse barberries (if using) 3 times. Melt butter in a small pot; add barberries and sauté 1 minute. Add sugar; sauté 1 minute more. Dilute saffron in 1/2 cup hot water and stir into barberries.

5. In the large pot used to cook the rice, heat 3 Tbsp oil. Add rice, using a large spoon and fluffing rice. Pour barberry mixture over the rice.

6. Cover pot and cook over low heat about 30 minutes. For a crisp, golden layer on bottom of rice (called ‘ta-dig’), cook another 15 minutes.

7. Using a large serving spoon, place rice in a large flat serving dish, gently mixing the barberries with the rice. Top with the chicken and serve.

Where to find goji berries

Whole goji berries are available at Chinese herbal shops.

Goji juice can be found in some health food stores, online stores, and through network marketers.

This recipe is awesome using goji berries

INGREDIENTS (from New Food of Life)

• 3 cups long-grain basmati rice
• 1 frying chicken, about 3 lb, or 2 Cornish game hens
• 2 peeled onions, 1 whole and 1 thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water
• 2 cups dried barberries (zereshk), cleane, washed and drained
• 2/3 cup clarified butter (ghee), or oil
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon Persian spice mix (advieh) or 1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons slivered pistachios

First of all, if you want to go completely traditional, which I do, you need ghee. So I start by making a batch of my own ghee the day before.Also done the day before is the rinsing of the basmati rice–five times or until the water runs clear. Then you leave the rice to soak overnight in very salty water (2 tablespoons salt in 8 cups of water). This helps the long grains hold up better when cooked. It ensures a fluffy rice. I usually leave the rice and salt water resting atop my refrigerator and put a large round glass serving dish on top to keep dust and things out.

The chicken, by the way, practically cooks itself in a covered baking dish. Najmieh says:

Place the whole chicken in a baking dish. Stuff the bird with one of the whole onions, the garlic, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon saffron water. Cover and bake in a 350 F oven for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Oh, how I love that moment on day 2 when it’s time to take the lid off the soaking rice and put my face down near the fragrant basmati water. Breathe in deeply. Aahh, there’s nothing like it.

You rinse out all the salt using a colander and/or two bowls. This takes a lot of swishing and pouring from one bowl to another. I use my bare hands. It’s relaxing.

The barberries–which should be red when you buy them and which can be stored in your freezer until time to use–also must be rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. They are full of sand and grit and stems that must be plucked out, as well as a few tiny teardrop-shaped leaves. As I’m picking and sorting, tossing aside the uckie looking berries, I think loving thoughts about the friend or friends who will share this meal with me.  Najmieh says, “Clean the barberries by removing their stems and placing the berries in a colander. Place colander in a large container full of cold water and allow barberries to soak for 20 minutes. The sand will settle to the bottom. Take the colander out of the container and run cold water over the barberries; drain and set aside.”

Saute 1 sliced onion in 2 tablespoons butter, add barberries and saute for just 1 minute over LOW heat because barberries burn very easily! Add 4 Tablespoons sugar, mix well, and set aside.

The cooking process itself has many steps–if you want a proper tadig or golden crust to form on the bottom of your rice. First you parboil the rice on high heat in salt water for just a little while. As Najmieh explains:

Bring 8 cups water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in a large, non-stick pot. Pour the washed and drained rice into the pot. Boil briskly for 6 to 10 minutes, gently stirring twice to loosen any grains that may have stuck to the bottom. Bite a few grains; if the rice feels soft, it is ready to be drained. Drain rice in a large, fine-mesh colander and rince in 2 or 3 cups lukewarm water.

While the rice is parboiling, you can put your saffron strings into the mortar with a bit of sugar and grind it to a fine orange powder. A few tablespoons of hot water added to this makes the key ingredient that will go on the chicken and also into the rice. Be careful! This mixture stains fingers and countertops and, well, everything it touches.

When the parboiled rice is rinsed and set aside, you get the big pot ready to accept the rice again.  Najmieh says, “in the same pot heat 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons water.”

In a bowl, mix 2 spatulas of rice, the yogurt, and a few drops of saffron water and spread the mixture over the bottom of the pot to form a tender crust (tag-dig).
Next you mound 2 spatulas full of rice into the middle of the pot atop the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle some spice mix on top of the mound and then top that with a layer of the barberries. Repeat: rice layer, spices, barberries; rice, spices, barberries. Soon you have a huge pyramid of rice and your ingredients are all used up. Way to go! (The pyramid shape give the rice room to expand.)

Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.

Mix the remaining melted butter and saffron water with 1/4 cup of water and pour over the pyramid. Place a clean tea towel over the pot; cover firmly with the lid to prevent steam from escaping. Cook for 50 minutes or longer over low heat.

Those were Najmieh’s words.   I personally do the above 2 steps a bit differently.  I start the fire on the high end of medium and keep it there until a wet finger struck against the outside of the pot toward the bottom gives a ssssssss. That means you will have a good tadig and you can now turn the fire very low and keep it there until your guests arrive. (The wet finger hissing trick isn’t in the book. I learned it from my friends Najmeh and Zarrin. They learned it from their mothers, who learned it from their mothers.)

Before the rice is done cooking, wet down a tea towel with cold water. When the rice is done cooking,  set the hot pot of rice down on the cold towel. This helps release the tadig from the bottom of the pot.

Decorate the top of the mound with almonds and pistachios.

THE SPICE MIX (advieh-ye polow)

• 2 tablespoons ground dried rose petals (gol-eh sorkh)
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (darchin)
• 2 tablespoons ground cardamom (hel)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (zireh)

Mix all the ground spices together in a bowl. Store in an airtight container to preserve freshness.

The cookbook is available here:

http://kikipotamus.wordpress.com/2006/11/28/zereshk-polo/