Ginkgo (commonly misspelled as gingko) nuts are used in cooking and deserts.  However some people, especially children do not like its taste.  Here is a tip to sweeten it and give it a little more bite.

You can use the canned version (in water), or those still in shell purchased in the supermarkets or the dried food stalls (干粮) stalls found in China Town, and in Singapore, Waterloo Street Market (四马路), Hong Lim  or any branches of the Chinese medicine stalls in most shopping centers（like 福华 or 正中平）.  You have to de-shell it by knocking it with something hard (eg stone pestle) to crack the shell, and then peel off the brown skin (boiling it lightly helps to remove it easily).  If you use canned version, drain away the water.

Put the nuts in pot, and cover it with just enough water to cover all the nuts.  Add in lots of raw sugar (or white sugar, but I prefer the raw sugar), about half the amount of the nuts in volume (approximately, the exact amount is not very crucial, as we just need it to be extremely sweet to allow the nut to absorb).   Leave it to boil for 15-20 mins. Cover and leave it for at least 12 hours (prepare this the night before you need it the next day).  Scoop out and drain off the sugar solution.  Set aside to be added into your desserts like 清汤，腐竹糖水，莲子糖水。

Do not pour away the sugar solution; it can be re-used to sweeten the desserts that you will be cooking anyway.

This dessert is usually serve in Chinese winter festival (冬至) or winter solstice on 22 Dec every year.  It is also being served during other Chinese festival to indicate togetherness or reunion (团圆)

The ginger soup here is the same as the sweet potato in ginger soup.

Ingredients (4 to 8 servings)

1. 500 grams Glutinous rice flour. (or you get 2-3 packets of the ready made frozen glutinous rice balls from supermarket, and they comes with fillings too)
2. 1 section of ginger tuber (about 5-10 cm)
3. Sugar to taste (about 8 table spoon and you adjust accordingly)
4. 5 bowls water for the soup
5. 2 or 3 pandan leaves
6. Plain water for making the dough
7. A pot of water for boiling the rice balls
8. Optional: crush peanuts mixed with sugar (3:1 ratio)

Method

1. Wash the ginger, and smash it slightly with a handle of a cleaver or chopping knife or anything hard.
2. Put water in the pot and ginger.
3. Boil for about 20 - 30 minutes
4. Add sugar to taste and stir.
5. Add in pandan leaves and boil for another 1-2 minute, and turn off fire.
6. If using ready made rice balls, skip this step.  Put the flour in a big mixing bowl, slowly add plain water and knead into dough.  Put the dough on a cleaned table top, and knead till smooth.  Roll it into a long strip and pinch off bit by bit of about a 2 cm or bigger size.  For each of these bit, put into the middle of both palm and roll in circular motion to make small ball.
7. Boil a pot of plain water.  Put in the rice balls and let it continue to boil.  They are cooked when they float in the water.
8. Scoop them into individual serving bowl, and pour ginger soup into the bowl.
9. Serve immediately. (soaking too long will make the soup cloudy and sticky)
10. Optional, to prepare a plate of crush peanut mixed with sugar as a dip for the glutinous rice balls (especial for self made that does not have fillings)

Desserts stalls in Singapore usually sell sweet potato in dried longan (桂圆) soup.  Using ginger is taught by my mom and I like this version.

Ingredients (5 to 8 servings)

1. 3 or 4 sweet potato (red or yellow is fine)
2. 1 section of ginger tuber (about 5-10 cm)
3. Sugar to taste (about 8 table spoon and you adjust accordingly)
4. 5 bowls water
5. 2 or 3 pandan leaves

Method

1. Remove the skin of the sweet potatoes, and cut into small pieces (about 4 cm size will do)
2. Wash the ginger, and smash it slightly with a handle of a cleaver or chopping knife or anything hard.
3. Put water in the pot, with sweet potatoes and ginger.
4. Boil for about 20 - 30 minutes (until the sweet potato is soften)
5. Add sugar to taste and stir.
6. Add in pandan leaves and boil for another 1-2 minute.
7. Serve hot or room temperature.

Ingredients

1. 1 x luffa
2. 4 x eggs
3. ½ teaspoon salt
4. 1/4 teaspoon sugar
5. Cooking oil 6 table spoon.
6. 1 clove garlic
7. 5-10 Prawns (optional)
8. 1 tablespoon soya sauce
9. Dash of ground pepper

Method

1. If prawn is used, de-shell the prawns.
2. Remove skin of garlic, minced or chop into small pieces
3. Remove the think skin of luffa (you might need a very sharp peeler, as the skin is pretty thick and hard).  Cut the luffa into strips of ½ cm thick.
4. Crack eggs into a bowl and beat.
5. Heat up a frying pan or wok, add in 2 table spoon of cooking oil
6. Add in garlic (and optional prawn) and stir fry till fragrance.
7. Add in luffa, salt, sugar, stir till luffa is soft.
8. Spread out the luffa on the frying pan, and pour in the beaten egg over the luffa.
9. Lower heat and allow the egg to cook and almost set. 
10. Using the egg flipper, scratch the circumference of the egg in the pan and pour in 2 more table spoon of cooking oil around the circumference.  This allows the oil to seep under the egg.
11. Flip the omelette over. It will sure break apart, that is fine. You can flip it part by part.  Add in the remaining 2 tablespoon of oil around the circumference to prevent sticking.  Pour in the soya sauce evenly on the egg and also dash of pepper evenly on the egg.
12. Flip over to allow the side with soya sauce to be in contact with the pan. 
13. Serve on plate when completely cook.
14. Leave it aside for 5 minutes.   The luffa will release some gravy and that make the dish a little wet, ideal to serve with white rice.

 Suitable for vegetarian without the prawns.

Picture of Luffa, if you have not seen one or noticed them in the market.