How to Eat Dandelion in Japan

June 12, 2011 - Food & Drink - Tagged: Flower

"takuchucamerabu" some rights reserved. flickr

Dandelions grow everywhere in Japan. Just like many other countries, they are used as remedy or for food. Flower, stem, leaf, and root… all parts of dandelion are edible.

“Root of Dandelion”

"daffyddsant" some rights reserved. flickr

Here are the recipes for dandelion dishes and drinks.

–Tempura
Pick some dandelions that are almost in full bloom, and batter the flowers and fry.
Cook them in the daytime because the flower wilts as night falls.

–Ohitashi
Boil the leaves. After draining, soak them in cold water to reduce the bitterness.
Season them with soy sauce and sprinkle katsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes) if you like.

–Kinpira
Thin slice the roots and stems. Boil them to remove harshness. Heat some sesame oil and sauté red pepper, the roots and stems. When soften, add sugar and soy sauce.

-Tea
Sun dry chopped dandelion roots and brew up as usual tea.

–Sake
Wash the flowers well and put in a jar with some rock sugar and whatever sake you like. Wait for three months and strain it with cheesecloth. It’s ready for drink.

By the way, when you eat sashimi (raw fish) or sushi at Japanese restaurants, you may find fresh yellow flower on the fish. They are NOT dandelions! They are small chrysanthemum called kogiku in Japanese. (They belong to the same family though…) Because chrysanthemum has bactericidal effect, they are used on raw fish.