Dried (White) Lily Flower

[maxmillan]

I plan to eat these for it's cholesterol reducing effects (from something I read long time ago.)

Do I soak them first before using? I plan to cook them with my noodles and soups most of the time. I have seen then in stir fries and clay pot recipes and would like to try that, too.

Is there a brand you recommend? I guess my worry is pesticides and contaminants (bugs, lead, etc.) as most of this stuff are from China.

I am in Vancouver BC Canada so I hope to find some recommendations.

Thanks.

[C J Phillips]

I'm not quite sure what ingredient you're talking about. Are you referring to lily bulbs (which are white)? Or daylily flowers (which are orange)? Or snow flowers (xuelian, which are whitish but rarely used in cooking)? Or orchid cactus flowers (tanhua, also whitish and a medicine rather than a food)? Or something else entirely?

If you don't know whether they were sprayed with pesticides, I'd assume that they are doused in chemicals unless proven otherwise. You can check for bugs yourself, but I tend to store many Chinese dried ingredients in the freezer and then rinse them really well before using them. As for lead, you'd probably have to get them checked by a professional.

[maxmillan]

To clarify, my mom calls it "gum jum choi" (tiger lily buds) and I found a sample in the link below:

http://www.templeofthai.com/food/chinese/l...-3400000300.php

[Dejah]

These I thought were dried daylily flowers and not tiger lily flowers. Gum Jum means golden needle which is another name often used in recipes.

I usually soak them if they are very dry. If they are used in soups that are simmered, then I don't think soaking is necessary. It is a good idea to wash them tho'.

As for lowering cholestrol, have you tried making a tea with dong goo - dried Chinese mushrooms. This was suggested by my gi-gong master who is also a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. I am away from home at the moment so I can't give you the exact recipe, but I seem to remember it as simmering about 3 rehydrated mushrooms.

[C J Phillips]

That's an excellent idea. And you're right, they're actually daylily flower buds. I don't know of any organic suppliers. Look for flowers that are still rather orange in color and pliable, which means that they're pretty fresh; if they're brown and hard, they're old and will taste sour rather than fresh. I like to soak them and then tie them into a simple knot to both keep them from falling apart and also to add a bit of texture.

And, I just bought some frozen ones that come from Taiwan (Weichuan brand, I think); they're green rather than orange, so they must be buds that haven't opened yet. I'm going to try stir-frying them and see what happens.

[maxmillan]

Thanks for your hints and suggestions. I'm going to check the freezer section to see what I can find.

As for the Dong Goo, I've been adding them to my soups and noodles (along with dried goji berries.) Sounds interesting as a tea and I'll be interested how it is made. I usually eat it as a savoury. Is sugar added to the Dong Goo tea?