You can dig up wild vegetables right by the roadside, and they work in stir-fries or cold salads alike, clearing heat and detoxifying the body
Who knows when it started, but even though people's lives are all going prosperously these days, with no shortage of food or clothing at home and every kind of tasty thing within reach, sometimes they still crave that bite of wild vegetables. Don't think that just because the house has everything, you can buy these wild vegetables whenever you want!
That's because wild vegetables aren't like the other vegetables sold in supermarkets, where you can just grab a handful whenever you feel like eating them. Wild vegetables have to be dug up yourself. Although a scattered few people still sell wild vegetables at the market, that good fortune never lasts long. Huahua also thinks that, being wild vegetables after all, they're of course best dug and eaten yourself!
Today Huahua is going to introduce everyone to a delicious wild vegetable. Whether you stir-fry it, toss it in a salad, or use it to make buns, this wild vegetable turns out great every time! This vegetable is the dandelion. Mention dandelions and everyone immediately thinks of those fluffy balls that fly away with a puff of wind. So how exactly do you stir-fry them?
What we eat is of course not that fluffy ball part, but the roots and leaves of the dandelion. Although it's called dandelion, different regions call it different things. Some places call it po po ding, and some call it lantern grass. In short, they're all referring to this wild vegetable, the dandelion!
Generally speaking, dandelions grow over a very wide range. They don't only grow in the countryside or in rural fields. In fact, dandelions can be seen just about everywhere, all over the place, by the roadside, along paths, in the garden downstairs and so on. You'll find traces of them everywhere.
Even though dandelions look so ordinary, the benefits of eating them are many! Dandelions are a wild vegetable and contain many vegetable nutrients we don't usually get, so their nutrition is actually quite rich. Besides being nutritious, dandelions also have a heat-clearing and detoxifying effect on the human body. For people with internal heat or indigestion, eating dishes made with dandelions also has a relieving effect.
When choosing dandelions to eat, it's best to pick them before they've formed their dandelion balls. At this stage the dandelion leaves are relatively tender and taste better. Once the dandelion balls have formed, the roots and leaves are a bit older, but after removing the old leaves they're still tasty.
Besides using them for cooking, we can also take dandelions home with their roots and soil still attached and grow them as a small potted plant, which is not a bad idea at all! Put it on the balcony, and when the wind blows the dandelions scatter, a little bit romantic, ha!
When a potted dandelion has grown to a certain height, you can harvest it to eat. Just leave about two cm at the base, and the dandelion will keep growing. When you want to eat some, cut a handful, then wait for the dandelion to grow out again. It's both nice to look at and good to eat, a truly great thing!
Finally, Huahua suggests that since we usually eat too much refined rice and fine flour, we can also try eating a bit of wild vegetables and coarse grains now and then!