Food from your garden - Chrysanthemum recipes

I have been feeling out of sorts for the last couple of days. The early signs of cold (dry and parched throat, dull head, blocked nose etcetera) is imminent, so I quickly went rummaging my food cabinet, found a packet of dried chrysanthemum flowers and brewed a large pot of chrysanthemum tea. Throughout the day, I have been drinking the tea instead of water. After consuming a few cups of tea, my lips and throat are not feeling dry any more and I am feeling much better.

Chrysanthemum is a native plant in China. It has been used as a herb since ancient times. According to the TCM, chrysanthemum is good for treating symptoms that arises due to excessive latent heat in our body. Chrysanthemum has many medicinal uses because it is antibacterial and antimycotic, for example it is used as an aid in recovery from influenza. With the spreading of A H1N1 virus around the world, TCM practitioners in my home country have been advising the people to drink chrysanthemum tea for prevention.

Of course, we used chrysanthemum in recipes as well. Here are some of them:

Oriental Chrysanthemum Bowl

Ingredients

• 2 qt Chicken broth
• 3/4 tb Sesame oil
• 2 ts Salt
• 4 oz Bean threads
• 1 Cabbage head, shredded
• 1 lb Spinach, fresh
• 2 Chicken boneless breasts
• 8 oz Chicken livers
• 8 oz Pork tenderloin
• 8 oz Firm white fish
• 8 oz Shrimp
• 1 c Small oysters
• 3 tb Soy sauce
• 2 tb Sherry
• 2 lg Chrysanthemums

Instructions

1. Slice all meats and vegetables in Chinese manner (thin strips).
2. Bring chicken stock, oil and salt to boil in large serving pot. (A Mongolian Hot Pot is traditional) and keep bubbling over heat.
3. Arrange noodles and all raw ingredients attractively on large platter.
4. Add sherry and soy sauce to bubbling broth.
5. Provide guests with chopsticks and serving bowls. invite guests to add the raw ingredients to the broth.
6. Let cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque.
7. Just before guests serve themselves from the pot, sprinkle leaves from the chrysanthemums on top of bubbling soup.
8. Ladle some of the soup into each guests bowl.

Roast Chicken Noodle Soup with Chrysanthemum

Ingredients

• 3 whole star anise
• 3 cups water
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced into thin rounds
• 6 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches chrysanthemum, bottoms trimmed, upper stems and leaves cut into 2-inch strips (about 5 cups)
• 1 14-ounce package thin fresh or dried Chinese egg noodles
• 2 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes skinned and boned freshly roasted or purchased roast chicken (about 2/3 pound)
• 1/4 large onion, sliced paper-thin
• 3 red Thai bird chillies or 1 large red jalapeño chillies, sliced into thin rounds

Instructions

1. Stir star anise in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until slightly darker, wrinkled-looking, and fragrant, about 8 minutes.
2. Add 3 cups water and ginger; simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add broth, soy sauce, and sugar; simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Stir oil and garlic in small skillet over low heat until garlic is crisp and golden, about 8 minutes. Set garlic oil aside.
5. Blanch chrysanthemum in large pot of boiling salted water until just wilted, about 5 seconds.
6. Using strainer, transfer greens to colander. Rinse with cold water and drain.
7. Return water in pot to boil.
8. Add noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Let stand 2 minutes.
9. Mix in 1 tablespoon garlic oil.
10. Using kitchen shears, cut noodles crosswise in several places.
11. Heat chicken in microwave in 10-second intervals at low setting until warmed through.
12. Divide noodles among 4 soup bowls; top each with 1/4 of chrysanthemum, chicken, and onion.
13. Ladle 2 cups broth mixture into each bowl.
14. Drizzle with some garlic oil. Serve, passing red chillies separately.

Iced Chrysanthemum tea

Ingredients

• Dried chrysanthemum-tea (used fresh or powder tea)
• Rock sugar (if this is not available, use honey or table sugar)
• 4 L of water
• A sieve

Instructions

1. If you use the dried chrysanthemum flowers, clean them thoroughly.
2. Pour the water into a saucepan, heat it for 2-3 minutes until boil. Add the dried chrysanthemum flowers into the sauce pan. Lower the fire and let is simmer for 25-35 minutes. While it’s simmering, add rock sugar to sweeten the tea.
3. Get a bowl. Pour the tea through the sieve into the bowl to remove any solid. Set the bowl aside to cool down for 10 minutes.
4. When it’s cool, cover the bowl and put it into the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Hot chrysanthemum tea

Ingredients

• Dried chrysanthemum flowers (or powder)
• Dried green tea leaves (or tea bags…)
• Water
• Sugar
• A sieve

Instructions

1. Heat up the water until boil. Lower the fire. Add the flowers into the water. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
2. Add the tea leaves or tea powder into the water. Let it brew for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Strain the tea through the sieve to remove any solid. If you use tea bags and flowers powder, you don’t have to do this step.
4. Pour the tea into the tea pot and serve. Put a cup of sugar on the table just in case someone wants to sweeten their teas a bit.

Chrysanthemum Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1362 g sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 60 g crushed pineapple, in juice
• 60 ml honey
• 45 g butter, melted
• 1 g grated lemon zest
• 20 g chrysanthemum petals

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
3. Place the sweet potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
4. Mash potatoes with pineapple, honey and butter using a whisk or electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
5. Stir in the lemon zest and chrysanthemum petals. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until hot and fragrant.

Orange Chrysanthemum Iced Tea With Peach Ice Cubes

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups peach nectar
• 4 cups cold, brewed chrysanthemum tea
• 1/2 cup cold, fresh orange juice
• Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pour the peach nectar into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
2. Whisk together the tea and orange juice.
3. Place a few of the ice cubes in each glass and pour the tea over them. Let stand a few minutes until the cubes begin to melt.
4. Stir, garnish with mint and serve.

Date wontons with chrysanthemum tea

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 150g (1 cup) dried pitted dates, finely chopped
• 50g walnut halves, finely chopped
• 1 tbs finely grated orange rind
• 75ml fresh orange juice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 24 fresh flour wonton wrappers
• 375ml (1 1/2 cups) vegetable oil
• Icing sugar, to dust
• Chrysanthemum tea, to serve
• White sugar, to serve

Instructions

1. Combine dates, walnuts, orange rind, orange juice and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Place wonton wrappers on a clean surface.
3. Place a teaspoonful of the date mixture in the centre of each wrapper. Use a pastry brush to brush edges with a little water.
4. Pinch the edges together to enclose filling and form a pouch.
5. Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat to 180°C (when oil is ready, a cube of bread will turn golden brown in 15 seconds).
6. Add half the wontons and deep-fry for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel.
7. Reheat oil and repeat with remaining wontons.
8. Transfer wontons to a serving platter and dust with icing sugar.
9. Serve with Chrysanthemum tea and white sugar.

Notes & tips

• You can make the wontons to the end of step 2 up to 1 day ahead. Store between sheets of non-stick baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge. Continue from step 3 up to 6 hours ahead. Chrysanthemum tea is available from Asian grocery stores.

Healthy Detoxifying Chrysanthemum Tea

Ingredients

• 3 tbsps of dried chrysanthemum flowers (Kook Fah in Cantonese)
• 1 tbsp of Chinese Wolfberries (Gei Ji in Cantonese)
• 3 slices of Chinese Licorice Slices (Kam Choe in Cantonese)

Instructions

1. Add the ingredients above into a tea pot and pour 500 ml hot water.
2. Let stand for 5 minutes and then slowly sip and enjoy this wonderful, golden, and slightly sweet taste of chrysanthemum tea.
3. When the tea pot is empty, you can pour more hot water to brew it a second round, but the flavour will be lesser.

Chrysanthemum Ginseng Wolfberry Jelly with Raw Honey

Ingredients

• 80gms first grade dried chrysanthemum (乾菊花)
• 15gms ginseng roots (洋参鬚)
• 15gms Chinese wolfberry (枸杞 - 5gms to reserve for garnishing)
• 250gms rock sugar (冰糖)
• 4.5 liters water （水）

Garnishing

• 6 Tbsp raw honey (diluted with 6 tbsp of the brewed potion)
• 5gms of the Chinese wolfberry above (soak and drain)

Optional

• Flowers and herbs for decoration.

Instructions

1. Wash the chrysanthemum, ginseng root and Chinese wolfberry clean from dirt.
2. Bring the water to boil in a large pot.
3. When boil, put in the chrysanthemum and ginseng root and let it brew in medium fire for 30-40 minutes.
4. Sieve the concentrated brewed potion. You would get about 3.5L left. (You can retain and boil the brewed ingredients by adding in more water for more cooling beverage as it would be a waste to throw them away. Sieve and add in sugar to taste)
5. Pour 2.5L of the brew into another pot and slowly stir in the jelly powder.
6. Heat up the brew in medium fire and add in the rock sugar. Stir until the rock sugar dissolves.
7. Add in the Chinese wolfberry (10gms only. Balance for garnishing) and let it brew in low fire for another 10-15minutes.
8. Scoop the potion into selected jelly moulds and let it cool. Chill immediately when hardened.
9. Serve the jelly chilled with some diluted raw honey and soaked wolfberry.

Note: Since there is no preservative in this brew, you can keep it fresh if well refrigerated for 3-4 days.(Serves: 8-10)


Roast duck and chrysanthemum noodle soup

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 500g fresh 'lei mein' noodles (see notes)
• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 10g ginger, finely shredded
• 1L (4 cups) good-quality chicken stock
• 2 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 bunch chrysanthemum leaf, trimmed
• 1/2 Chinese roast duck, thinly sliced
• 2 cups (110g) bean sprouts
• 2 green onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally
• 2 tbs Guilin chilli sauce, to serve (see notes)

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water for 4 minutes or until tender. Drain well and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a wok over high heat.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds or until garlic just begins to colour. Add chicken stock and soy sauce and bring to the boil.
4. Add chrysanthemum leaves and cook for 30 seconds or until leaves wilt.
5. Season with salt and freshly ground white pepper and remove from heat.
6. Divide noodles and chrysanthemum leaf among serving bowls.
7. Top with sliced roast duck, bean sprouts and green onions.
8. Ladle hot stock over and top with Guilin chilli sauce.

Notes & tips

• Lei mein noodles are wheat-based medium-sized noodles and are available from Asian grocers. Substitute with other fresh wheat-based noodles or fresh egg noodles.
• Guilin chilli sauce is a thick sauce made from many ingredients including salted chillies and fermented soy beans. It is available from Asian grocers. Substitute with chilli bean sauce or fresh chilli paste.