Jasmine
Summer is the season for jasmine flowers to bloom. Each batch of jasmine flowers only blooms for 3-5 days, and the flowering period is relatively short. Friends who have jasmine flowers at home can pick some and cook a few dishes to taste the fragrance of jasmine flowers for themselves~
Note: For tea, it is best to pick jasmine buds, which have a stronger aroma. For cooking, you can pick jasmine that has already bloomed. The most common edible jasmine is double-petal jasmine and single and double nibs.
- Jasmine egg pancake
Rinse the jasmine flowers 1-2 times and dry them. Beat 2-3 eggs and add jasmine flowers. You can add a little salt to season. Put more oil in the pan, heat it to 70%, pour in the egg liquid, fry until both sides are golden brown, and then remove from the pan. This is a must-eat cauliflower every year. It is super fragrant~
- Stir-fried jasmine
It is stir-fried like a dish. I have eaten it in a Yunnan restaurant. It is very refreshing. I wanted to make it myself when I came back, but unfortunately there are not enough jasmine flowers in my garden to make a dish. Jasmine big farmers can try it. It is better to use jasmine buds that are about to bloom.
Gardenia
Gardenia is also very fragrant. Its leaves are thick and are also a good ingredient for cooking. I wonder if you have ever eaten it~
Both single-petal and double-petal gardenias can be eaten. Choose the ones that have already bloomed. Be careful to remove the central stamen (the largest one in the middle), otherwise it will be bitter. The small leaves on the pedicel should be removed.
- Fried gardenia
Rinse the gardenia with water, dry it slightly, coat it with flour and fry it in a pan. Fry it until it turns slightly yellow and then take it out. You can eat it with sauce. It is very fragrant~
- Stir-fried gardenia
After cleaning the gardenia, you can blanch it in water to cut off the rawness, and then stir-fry it. You can pair it with garlic sprouts and chives. The taste is great, even better than jasmine (foodie review)
- Gardenia Chicken
Here we use the gardenia fruit of the yellow gardenia. The yellow water from soaking or boiling can be used to dye the chicken, making the chicken skin/meat golden. Many salt-baked chickens, white-cut chickens, and braised chickens use yellow gardenia to dye. You can also put 2-3 of them when stewing chicken soup, which is delicious and fragrant!
Lotus
Lotus is a treasure from head to toe. From flowers to leaves, lotus seeds, and lotus roots, you can eat them all. In summer, you can enjoy the fragrance of lotus while it is in bloom~
- Deep-fried lotus petals
Take the tender part of the lotus petals near the core, rinse and dry them for later use. Beat an egg with flour, add a little sugar and mix well. Coat the lotus petals with batter and fry them in oil until slightly yellow. Take them out and let them air dry for a while, then fry them again in oil. They are fragrant and crispy~
- Lotus leaf rice
Rinse the fresh lotus leaves and prepare the glutinous rice and soak it for 2-3 hours in advance. If you like salty food, you can add soy sauce, sesame oil, sausage or diced bacon, diced ham, etc. Wrap it with lotus leaves and put it in the steamer. Steam it on high heat for 10 minutes and then on low heat for 20-25 minutes.
Pumpkin flowers
Pumpkin flowers are divided into male and female. You can see the difference between male and female flowers by looking at the picture below. Male flowers have thick and single stamens, while female flowers have more stamens.
- Deep-fried pumpkin flowers
Soak pumpkin flowers in salt water for 20 minutes, take a little flour and 1/3 of corn flour, add an egg and a little water and mix well, you can add a little salt to taste. Coat pumpkin flowers with batter and fry in oil until slightly yellow, fry again for 20-30 seconds after 2-3 minutes.
- Steamed pumpkin flowers
Mix minced pork belly with chopped green onion and ginger, season, add egg white and stir in one direction, put in the washed pumpkin flower core (the stamens can be removed), and steam for about 20 minutes. - Pumpkin meatball soup
Prepare the meat filling, mix it with egg white and squeeze it into meatballs. Pour a little oil into the pot, sauté the scallions and ginger, and pour in hot water when it smells good. It doesn’t need to be completely boiling, so that the meatballs won’t break easily. After the meatballs are added, wait for the water to boil before adding the pumpkin flowers and pumpkin heads. Season them and serve when they are cooked.
Dendrobium flowers
Everyone knows that wolfberry is very nourishing, and so is dendrobium. There are many varieties of dendrobium, and the four varieties that can be eaten directly are golden hairpin, iron skin, drumstick, and tassel. Be sure to ask clearly before buying.
- Dendrobium Stew
Both the flowers and stems of Dendrobium can be stewed into soup. They can be stewed with chicken, pork, beef, mutton and vegetables. They are delicious and nutritious.
- Dendrobium fried eggs
After washing the dendrobium flowers, mix them with egg liquid and stir-fry them together. You can also make omelets. They taste sweet and nutritious. They are suitable for people with weak constitutions and are also good for breakfast.
- Dendrobium steamed egg
For those who prefer light taste, you can try Dendrobium steamed egg. Mix egg liquid + warm water (20-30 degrees), add Dendrobium flowers, and if you want a smooth effect, cover with a layer of plastic wrap (poke some small holes for ventilation), and steam for about 15 minutes.
Roses
Real roses are different from the “roses” sold in flower shops that represent love. The picture below shows a real rose, which is rose red, has a scattered flower shape, obvious leaf patterns, and dense thorns on the stem. This original variety of rose is edible.
The ornamental “roses” we often refer to are actually Chinese roses. After cultivation, the roses have more orderly and beautiful flower shapes, more varied colors, larger leaves, mostly 5 leaves, and stems without or with few thorns (for roses). The original varieties of roses have a pleasant aroma and can be used to extract essential oils, make cosmetics, perfumes, and make scented tea. Because they are edible, they can also be cooked.
- Rose Jam
Pick rose petals (remove the stamens and stalks), wash them with clean water, or soak them in salt water for 20-30 minutes to sterilize them, dry them, add sugar, rub and mash them. Finally, put them in a glass bottle, seal the top with honey, cover it with a lid, and store it in a refrigerator at 5-7 degrees. It can be eaten in 7-10 days.
- Rose pie
Mix the dough with warm water until it is soft, then let it rest for about 2 hours, roll it into long strips and cut it into small pieces. Roll the small pieces into round shapes, wrap them with rose jam (a bit drier), press them into round shapes, then heat the pan, add oil, and fry the dough until both sides are golden brown.
- Rose Ice Jelly
Take rose jam, add some sugar, and mix it into ice jelly powder (the powder for making ice jelly, which can be sold online). Add boiling water and stir. Stop stirring after mixing well. Let it slowly solidify after cooling down. You can also put it in the upper layer of the refrigerator to refrigerate. When eating, take it out and add coconut milk or milk, fruits, raisins, crushed peanuts, etc.
Banana flowers
Banana flowers, which are common in the south, are also a summer delicacy. They are sold as vegetables in the market, but they are hard to find in other places.
Banana flowers are like a big corn, with its flowers stuck in the gaps. Take out such small flowers to eat, and remove the stamens of larger flowers, otherwise they will be bitter. Before cooking, banana flowers are usually blanched in water to cut off the rawness, then squeeze out the water, and then proceed to the next step
- Cold-mixed banana flowers
After blanching the banana flowers, drain the water, prepare vinegar, soy sauce, salt, chili oil, onion and garlic, etc. for cold mixing, which tastes very fresh.
- Stir-fried banana flowers
The most common dish is stir-fried banana flowers, which can be paired with many other vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans, etc., and can also be stir-fried with meat. The taste of banana flowers is similar to fresh bamboo shoots, and it is very delicious~
Daylily
Daylily in summer is also a delicacy. Fresh daylily is really sweet and delicious. However, when picking, you must be careful to distinguish. There are many large-flowered daylilies in urban greening now. They look similar to daylily, but they cannot be eaten!
In addition to careful identification, daylilies are mostly picked in the state of buds, and the core and stamens should be removed, otherwise the taste is not good, and it is easy to have stomachache after eating. Daylilies must be cooked. Some people’s physique is not suitable for eating daylilies, so everyone should be careful~
- Cold daylilies
After picking and washing the daylilies, blanch them in water to cut off the rawness, then soak them in cold water to cool them down, remove them and squeeze out the water, add the prepared garlic juice, soy sauce, MSG, chili oil and other seasonings.
- Salted egg yolk + day lily
The yolk of salted duck eggs is delicious when fried with day lily or cooked into soup. Many people may not have eaten it yet. It will definitely be amazing if you try it~
Fresh chrysanthemums can also be used to make soup, which is more delicious than dried chrysanthemums. They can be stewed with tomatoes, green vegetables, meatballs, spareribs, etc. to improve the taste and clear away heat and reduce internal heat~
These flowers in summer
are all seasonal delicacies
Did flower lovers get envious?
Hurry up and make a few dishes to try~