Dandelion Fritter | 酥炸蒲公英花蕾

Now it’s the time to savor the bright yellow dandelion heads

After days of heavy rain, we finally got a sunny day. Seas of dandelions were blooming everywhere. I am a dandelion addict. Of course I immediately thought of many ways to enjoy these freshly sprouted beauties. 

Dandelions can be prepared savory or sweet. Basically, anything you want to have a hint of dandelions, then you can add a handful of them. However, the different parts of the dandelion have the best flavour during different periods.

Roots: They are best to be harvested in early spring before the flowers bloom, or in late fall before the ground freezes. The roots store the most nutrition in these periods of the year. The roots can be ground into powder as a coffee substitute.

Buds: They can be picked any time throughout the summer. Try to look for ones that are tightly closed for the maximal floral flavour. I usually pickle them and eat them like capers.

Leaves: They could be used throughout the whole season, but I only like to use the baby dandelion leaves in early spring. They are much more tender and less bitter. If you choose to use dandelion after April, try to look for those growing in the shade because sun exposure stresses the dandelions, making them taste much more bitter. Leaves can be stir fried, to make kimchi, or eaten raw as a salad.

Flowers: We only use the yellow flower heads and they make good tea. Flower petals are not bitter so they can be applied to various recipes. I use them to make quick bread, cookies, and fritters. Some people even use them to make wine. I haven’t yet tried the wine recipe since my husband and I don’t drink much. But I imagine making a batch of it and giving it to friends as a gift would be really cool.

Dandelion Fritter

Today let’s focus on fritter. Making fritter isn’t much of a secret. All it requires is good consistency of the batter. If you want to eat the dandelion flowers but not the clumps of oily flour bread, you need to be easy on the flour. The measurement in the recipe below is just a guideline. You really need to eyeball it and feel it.

Ingredients: for 8 dandelions 

8 Dandelion Flowers, with at least 3 inch stems

2 tablespoons Corn Starch

2 tablespoons Flour

1/4 cup Water

a pinch of Salt

a pinch of Black Pepper

a pinch of Smoked Paprika

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

How to make:

1. the dandelions in a bowl of water by quickly swinging the flowers left and right a few times; dry them on a paper towel . (I always rinse my dandelions before using them. It may loose a little flavour, but I would rather be safe than sorry)

2. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients. The batter should be runny like the crepe batter. If it’s thick like pancake batter, you may want to thin it out with some water.

3. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Coat the flower heads with the batter. Add the flowers in the pan one by one and make sure they are not overlapping. Let them fry until golden; it’s about one minute. Serve immediately.

When enjoying them, just pick up the stem as if it were a toothpick and eat up the yellow flower part. They are great for party food.


If you have leftover flower heads, you can use the flower petals to make tea.





Dandelion Tea

Ingredients:
8-10 Dandelion Flower Heads, petals only
Hot Water


How to make:
1. Rinse the dandelion flower heads.  Peel off and discard any green parts.

2. Put the yellow petals in a tea cup.  Pour the hot water over it and allow it to steep for 8 minutes before serving.  Add honey or other sweetener if you want.