"A delicacy at the banquet" How much does dried daylily cost per jin on the market? What nutrition does it have? How do you soak and rehydrate it after buying? Which cooking method tastes best?
Dried daylily is a traditional vegetable much loved by people. Its original name is Hemerocallis, known in ancient times as the “forget-your-worries grass.” It looks golden in color, smells fresh and fragrant, tastes tender and smooth, and has very high nutritional value, so it is regarded as a “delicacy at the banquet.” It is grown in both the north and south of our country. So, what is the current market price of dried daylily per jin? How do you soak and rehydrate it after buying? Which cooking method tastes better?
Dried daylily is not a hard-to-find ingredient, so its price is also fairly affordable. According to relevant conditions at farmers’ markets in Gansu, Henan, Shaanxi, Hunan and other places, the current price of dried daylily is around 20 yuan per kg.
What are the nutritional values of dried daylily?
1. Brain-boosting effect: Daylily has relatively good brain-boosting and anti-aging effects because it is rich in lecithin. This substance is a component of many cells in the body, especially brain cells, and plays an important role in enhancing and improving brain function. At the same time, it can clear deposits in the arteries and has special therapeutic effects on symptoms such as poor concentration, memory decline, and cerebral artery blockage, so people call it the “brain-boosting vegetable.”
2. Beautifying the skin: Regularly eating daylily can also moisturize the skin, enhance the skin’s toughness and elasticity, and can make the skin delicate and plump, smooth and soft, with fewer wrinkles and faded pigment spots. Moreover, daylily also has antibacterial and immune functions, has mild to moderate anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects, and has a certain effect in preventing infection.
3. Lowering blood pressure: Daylily can significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels, 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 also contains active ingredients that can inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Its rich crude fiber can promote bowel movements, so it can be used as a food for preventing and treating intestinal tumors.
In addition, after buying dried daylily, it cannot be eaten directly and needs some processing.
When processing dried daylily, first soak and then boil. First put the daylily in warm water to soak for a while. After the daylily softens, take it out and remove the hard stem at the top and impurities. Then put the daylily together with cold water into a pot and bring to a boil. After taking it out, soak it in cold water for at least two hours before eating. One point to note is that you should wash the soaked daylily clean with clean water, then squeeze out the water, and this will basically remove the impurities from the dried daylily.
After soaking and rehydrating, dried daylily still yields quite a lot, and one jin of dried daylily can be eaten for several meals.
Which cooking method makes dried daylily taste better? Below are several simple and easy home recipes:
1. Scrambled eggs with daylily
[Ingredients] 3 eggs, an appropriate amount of daylily.
[Method] ① Soak the daylily in clean water and remove the head, tail and roots. ② Crack the eggs into a bowl, add salt and stir well for later use. ③ Add an appropriate amount of oil to the pot. After the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and spread it out, heating over low heat for a few seconds. ④ Then add the daylily and stir-fry a few times, add a little water, then add appropriate amounts of salt, sugar, vinegar and sesame oil, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 minute. ⑤ Before removing from the pot, add a little chopped scallion, then turn off the heat and serve.
2. Braised pork with daylily
[Ingredients] Daylily, pork belly, black fungus, chopped scallion, wine, soy sauce, sugar, salt.
[Method] ① Wash the pork belly, cut into chunks, first blanch in boiling water, and filter off the blood and impurities. Put the dried daylily in water to soak and open, and remove the old hard parts. Soak the black fungus in water, remove the stems and tear into small pieces. ② Heat the oil in the pot, first stir-fry 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 and black fungus into the pot 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 slowly simmer over low heat. ④ When the braised meat is tender and fragrant, and the daylily and black fungus are soft and moist, and the meat broth has thickened over slow heat, sprinkle with chopped scallion and it is ready to serve.
3. Crucian carp soup with daylily
[Ingredients] One crucian carp, a handful of dried daylily, an appropriate amount of ginger, an appropriate amount of celery, 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 so it is easier to absorb flavor. ② Slice the ginger, then chop it finely. Marinate the crucian carp briefly with ginger and salt, and also put a little ginger inside the fish belly. ③ Soak the daylily in cold water for 40 minutes, in warm water for 20 minutes, or in hot water for 10 minutes, remove impurities, wash clean and squeeze out the water for later use. ④ Heat the pot, 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, 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 is ready.