Boxthorn Soup with Wolfberries

A quick and simple yet tonic soup, as in traditional Chinese medicine, wolfberries are believed to help both vision and kidney function. When stripping the leaves from the Chinese boxthorn (gou qi cai) for cooking, beware of the thorns!

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 50g boxthorn leaves
° 1 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon wolfberries (boxthorn berries), soaked
° 4 seedless red dates
° 500ml water
° salt, to taste
° sugar (optional), to taste
° sesame oil (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place the ginger, wolfberries, red dates and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
2. Add in the boxthorn leaves and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt, sugar and sesame oil. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve hot.