"A delicacy at the banquet" - what is the market price of dried daylily flowers per jin? What nutrition do they have? How do you soak and rehydrate them after buying? Which cooking method tastes best?

Dried daylily flowers are a traditional vegetable deeply loved by people, originally called xuancao, known in ancient times as “forget-your-worries grass”. They look golden yellow in color, smell fresh and fragrant, taste tender and smooth, and have very high nutritional value, so they are regarded as a “delicacy at the banquet”. They are grown throughout both northern and southern parts of our country. So, what is the current market price of dried daylily flowers per jin? How do you soak and rehydrate them after buying? Which cooking method tastes better?

Dried daylily flowers are not a difficult ingredient to harvest, so the price is fairly affordable. According to the relevant situation at farmers' markets in Gansu, Henan, Shaanxi, Hunan and other places, the current price of dried daylily flowers is around 20 yuan per kilogram.

What nutritional value do dried daylily flowers have?

1. Brain-boosting effect: Daylily flowers have a relatively good brain-boosting and anti-aging effect because they are rich in lecithin. This substance is a component of many cells in the body, especially brain cells, and plays an important role in strengthening and improving brain function. At the same time, it can clear deposits in the arteries and has a special therapeutic effect on symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, memory decline, and cerebral artery blockage, so people call it the “brain-boosting vegetable”.

2. Beautifying the skin: Regularly eating daylily flowers can also moisturize the skin, enhance the skin's toughness and elasticity, and can make the skin delicate and full, smooth and soft, with fewer wrinkles and faded spots. Moreover, daylily flowers also have antibacterial and immune functions, have mild to moderate anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, and play a certain role in preventing infection.

3. Lowering blood pressure: Daylily flowers can significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels, which is beneficial to the recovery of patients with high blood pressure, and can be used as a health vegetable for patients with high blood pressure.

4. Cancer-preventing effect: Daylily flowers also contain active ingredients that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, and their rich crude fiber can promote bowel movements, so they can be used as a food for preventing and treating intestinal tumors.

In addition, dried daylily flowers cannot be eaten directly after buying and need some processing.

When processing dried daylily flowers, first soak them and then boil them. First put the daylily flowers in warm water and soak them for a while. After the daylily flowers soften, take them out and remove the hard stems at the top and any impurities. Then put the daylily flowers and cold water together into a pot and bring to a boil. After taking them out, soak them in cold water for at least two hours before eating. One point to note is that you should wash the soaked daylily flowers clean with clean water, then squeeze out the water, and this will basically remove the impurities from the dried daylily flowers.

After soaking and rehydrating, dried daylily flowers still yield a lot, and one jin of dried daylily flowers can be eaten for several meals.

Which cooking method makes dried daylily flowers taste better? Below are several simple and easy home recipes for everyone:

1. Scrambled eggs with daylily flowers

[Ingredients] 3 eggs, an appropriate amount of daylily flowers.

[Method] (1) Soak the daylily flowers in clean water and remove the heads, tails and roots. (2) Crack the eggs into a bowl, add salt and stir evenly for later use. (3) Add an appropriate amount of oil to the pan. After the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and spread it out, heating on low heat for a few seconds. (4) Then add the daylily flowers and stir-fry a few times, add a little water, then add an appropriate amount of salt, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil, cover the lid and simmer for 1 minute. (5) Before removing from the pan, add some chopped scallions, then turn off the heat and serve.

2. Braised pork with daylily flowers

[Ingredients] Daylily flowers, pork belly, black fungus, chopped scallions, wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt.

[Method] (1) Wash the pork belly, cut it into chunks, first blanch it in boiling water, and drain off the blood and impurities. Put the dried daylily flowers in water to soak and open, and remove the hard old ends. Soak the black fungus in water to open, remove the stems and tear into small pieces. (2) Heat the oil in the pan, first stir-fry the ginger slices and scallion whites until fragrant, then add the blanched pork and stir-fry over high heat until the meat fragrance comes out. Then pour the soaked and washed daylily flowers and black fungus into the pan and stir-fry for a while. (3) Add wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt and clear boiling water, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer slowly over low heat. (4) When the braised pork is tender and fragrant and the daylily flowers and black fungus are soft and moist, and the meat gravy has thickened over low heat, sprinkle with chopped scallions and it is ready to serve.

3. Crucian carp soup with daylily flowers

[Ingredients] One crucian carp, a handful of dried daylily flowers, an appropriate amount of ginger, an appropriate amount of celery, and appropriate amounts of oil, salt and chicken essence.

[Method] (1) Kill the crucian carp from the belly, remove the black membrane inside the crucian carp's belly, and cut several slashes on the fish body with a knife so it absorbs flavor easily. (2) Slice the ginger, then chop it finely. Marinate the crucian carp briefly with ginger and salt, and put a little ginger inside the fish belly too. (3) Soak the daylily flowers in cold water for 40 minutes, warm water for 20 minutes, or hot water for 10 minutes, remove impurities, wash clean and squeeze out the water for later use. (4) Heat the pan, add cooking oil, add the crucian carp and fry until both sides turn yellow, pour in an appropriate amount of boiling water, and cook the crucian carp a bit more. (5) Add the soaked daylily flowers, cook over high heat for 5 minutes, and add salt. (6) Add chicken essence for seasoning, then add celery, cook for a few minutes, and the delicious crucian carp soup with daylily flowers is ready.