Flower Dishes in Yunnan

Yunnan is known as the “Kingdom of Plants” and “Kingdom of Flowers”. In Yunnan, flowers are not only ornamental plants, but also delicious delicacies on the table. According to botanists, there are about 2500 kinds of wild ornamental plants in Yunnan, many of which are edible. The 26 minorities living in Yunnan all have recipes about flowers. Almost every edible flower is associated with a recipe. A flower-made meal is a surprise for your Yunnan travel. Let’s see the Flower Dishes in Yunnan.

Flowers On The Menu

Roses

Yunnan is a province that loves flowers, which is no less than the love of wild food, among which rose is the most widely eaten. Roses are a popular ingredient in local dishes and products such as rose cakes, rose sugar, rose porridge, rose tea and even rose soap. 

Sophora Davidii Flowers

Locally called Ku Cai Flower, it is not very conspicuous. The bitter thorn flower The thorny shrubs are full of innumerable small white flowers, which contrast with the green branches and leaves, but also appear elegant and simple, adding some color to the early spring wilderness. It is not only for people to watch, but also a delicious wild vegetable in spring. The ordinary Ku Cai Flower, after people’s picking and processing, become a plate of cool and delicious on the dining table. 

Banana Flowers

The fried plantain flower is really chewy, and the Dai and Hani people like to eat it. The special food in the Dai community in Yunnan Province is the flower heart and the tender petal: some are cut into small pieces and mixed with lemonade and millet, some are cut into silk and fried with bacon. Tasting bitter, the flower need process of manual rubbing, parboiling and other procedures to remove astringence.

Pomegranate Flower

Pomegranate flowers are everywhere in Yunnan and have become one of the featured delicacies. The edible part is near the receptacle, which needs to be boiled in water to get rid of astringency. Stir-fried pomegranate flowers have pleasant aroma, salty and delicious taste, with slightly bitter taste. But bitter in this dish will make people addicted and can not stop eating, because the pomegranate flower has the effect of heat clearing, detoxification, invigorating stomach, etc.

Jasmine Flowers

Jasmine is an excellent ornamental plant. Although it is also used to make tea, few people have ever thought of making it into a dish. In fact, Jasmine has good health care and cosmetic effect. It can be used for diet. The volatile oil contained in Jasmine has the functions of promoting qi, relieving pain, relieving depression and dissolving knots, alleviating chest and abdominal distension, acute and severe diarrhea, and so on. It is a good food for pain relief. The edible methods include fried eggs with jasmine flowers, Jasmine wax gourd soup, branches of jasmine honey beans, medlar Jasmine chicken, Jasmine porridge, Jasmine tofu, Jasmine Tremella soup, etc.

Broom flowers

Broom is one of the most common edible flowers in Yunnan Province. It grows mainly in shrubs. The broom got its name from its bird-like appearance, and some people call it the “parakeet flower”. Yunnan people like to fry the broom flowers together with eggs. The fragrant is sweet and it has a refreshing taste. It is so delicious that some people call it “the fragrance of forest”.

Tangli Flower

Tangli Flower, which blossoms only in winter, is a kind of wild shrub growing in Yunnan, rich in amino acids and vitamins with the effect of strengthening the stomach and digesting food. Over the past hundred years, it has attracted the attention of chefs. Through continuous practice, it has gradually become a traditional delicacy of flower and food. The blossoms of the wild Tangli bushes can be fried with eggs, eaten in a soup or can be served as a salad dish.

Pumpkin Flower

Pumpkin as a vegetable is often eaten in people’s daily life, but many people only eat the fruit of pumpkin. Little did they know that the flowers blooming in pumpkin and the tender buds on the tip of pumpkin vines are edible, and very delicious! Pumpkin flowers can be used to dip in the egg liquid and fry in a pan. They are crisp and delicious, while bud tips can be used to be fried. They are crisp, refreshing and delicious.

Chrysanthemum Flowers

Chrysanthemum tea and chrysanthemum wine can’t be more common. Today we want to talk about the way they eat in Yunnan: chrysanthemum crossing the bridge rice noodles. Several strands of chrysanthemum leaves poured into the soup of about seventy or eighty degrees, stirred with rice noodles, which taste fragrant with long aftertaste.  

Jade Lotus

When a jade lotus flower is mature, its petals are pink. And a jade lotus flower should have six or seven petals, which are used to make dishes. Thick petal meat exudes a very special fragrance, but only adding jade lotus in frying vegetables is inadequate. Adding some boiled mashed beans will make the dish taste different.

Magnolia Flower

Spring is the season when magnolia flowers blossom, and at this time, magnolia flower tastes delicious. Magnolia flower can be used to make many dishes. It can be fried with meat, fried into crisp magnolia flower, and made as magnolia flower stuffed meatballs. Its unique fragrance makes greasy dishes fresh and refreshing.

Taro Flower

In Yunnan, taro flower is often used for cooking. The main cooking method is to fry or steam it with eggplant, green pepper and so on. Steamed stinky tofu with taro flower is a home-cooked delicacy favored by people with heavy taste.

Leek Flower

Leek flower can be used to make many kinds of dishes. It can be accompanied by mutton hotpot to eat, fried with shredded meat and scrambled eggs and so on. Of course,the most delicious is Qujing Yunnan pickled leek flower which is a famous dish sold all over the world. In the season of wild fungi, the most comfortable way to eat is to cook with a kind of fungus called Dry Bacteria.

See more Flowers for dining in Yunnan.

Flower Dishes in Yunnan

Rose Flower Cake

Rose Flower Cake is a kind of crisp cake with Yunnan’s unique edible rose as filling. It has tender crisp outside and delicious fragrance. It is one of the representatives of Yunnan’s classic snacks. Yunnan’s unique geographical advantages here provide excellent conditions for the growth of edible roses. Edible roses are richer in nutrients than ordinary vegetables and have higher health care value. They taste sweet and bitter, rich in aroma and have the functions of soothing liver and relieving depression, and regulating blood meridians. They are natural green tonic products.

Chrysanthemum Cross Bridge Rice Noodles

In Yunnan, the most famous chrysanthemum rice noodles are Mengzi chrysanthemum rice noodles crossing bridges. It is a delicacy with fresh rice noodles, chicken, meat as the main ingredients, fresh chrysanthemum, ginger, pepper, grass, pea tip, shallot, leek, bean sprouts, coriander, grass sprouts and other auxiliary ingredients. Fresh rice noodles and chicken soup, together with bright chrysanthemum, not only increase the color of rice noodles across the bridge, but also enhance the taste.

Scrambled Egg with Sophora Davidii Flowers

Sophora Davidii Flower is a unique plant in Yunnan Province. It is a natural herb and can be used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce fire, blood pressure, reduce inflammation and relieve heat. It can also be used to treat dyspepsia, gastrointestinal pain and other diseases. The Sophora Davidii Flowers is also a delicious mountain treasure on the table of Yunnan people. After picking, sorting and processing, the Sophora Davidii Flowers is cool and delicious food that people are competing for praise. There are many methods to make Sophora Davidii Flower dishes, such as fried Sophora Davidii Flowers with soybean sauce, braised Sophora Davidii Flowers with broad bean, cold Sophora Davidii Flowers, etc., but the common method is fried egg with Sophora Davidii Flowers.

Fried Jade Lotus with Broad Bean

Jade lotus is a wild plant in Yunnan. Every March, Jade lotus blossoms all over the trees. The flower shape is somewhat like a shrinking lily. Jade lotus is not only beautiful in appearance, but also excellent in taste. The edible method of Jade lotus is to pick its flowers, remove receptacles and stamens, wash petals, then boil water for 3-5 minutes, and soak them in clear water for 4-5 hours. After that, dry the water and mix them with boiled mashed broad beans. The soft taste of broad bean paste and the fragrance of Jade lotus flower make your lips and teeth fragrant, refreshing your heart and spleen. It is a famous dish in Yunnan.

Stir-fry Plantain Flowers

The banana flower is the bud or flower of the banana family. Wild banana flowers are mainly distributed in Taiwan and a small amount in Yunnan. The banana flower has the functions of eliminating phlegm, soothing liver, and regulating menstruation. It also has a unique sweet taste. Yunnan people love fried banana flowers with Dai flavor most. Stir-fried with ginger, Chaotian pepper, minced meat, scallion, leek and so on is a delicious dish with national flavor.

Stir-fried Tangli Flower

Tangli trees are distributed all over Yunnan. Generally, in winter months, Tangli flowers begin to bud, and around the Qingming festival, almost all the mountains and fields are covered with white Tangli flowers. Tangli flower is not only beautiful, but also very delicious. It is one of Yunnan’s mountain treasures in spring. When Tangli flowers blossom, people compete for picking and processing. The most common way to eat Tangli flower is to stir-fry it with spicy spices. It has a strong fragrance of flowers. It is indeed a rare mountain delicacy. Tangli flower is also rich in vitamins, amino acids and more than a dozen mineral elements needed by the human body. It has the functions of clearing the lung, relieving cough and moistening the throat.

Stir-fried Pomegranate Flowers with Leek 

Fresh and dazzling pomegranate flower, rich in a variety of nutrients, can be used as medicine, and has the effect of promoting blood circulation and hemostasis, removing blood stasis and relieving pain. Frequent eating pomegranate flower can also inhibit the formation of melanin, make skin smooth and elastic, and delay the formation of wrinkles. It is a natural beauty product. Pomegranate flowers can also be used for cooking, such as fried, fried with meat slices, fried with chicken miscellaneous, etc. The most common way to fried leek with pomegranate flowers, and its taste is fragrant and delicious.

More Flower Dishes in Yunnan