Unique Dishes Made from Flowers, Only in Vietnam

Beyond their beauty and fragrance, many flowers also find their way into the kitchen, becoming refined and nourishing dishes. Thanks to them, Vietnamese cuisine, already rich in identity, has become even more varied and full of finesse. Join VN Cooking to discover dishes made from flowers! 

Lotus flowers 

While other flowers can be turned into rustic dishes, the lotus suits only refined, regal fare. Almost every part of the lotus plant is edible: the seeds, stamens, seed hearts, roots and young shoots.

Lotus flowers are naturally sweet, gentle and very good for your health. One lotus delicacy once counted among the finest dishes of the royal court is duck steamed with lotus. Many other dishes feature the scent of lotus too, such as lotus rice, lotus salad and lotus sweet soup, all carrying the distinctive flavors of Vietnamese cuisine.

Tonkin jasmine flowers 

Tonkin jasmine flowers have long been turned into all kinds of dishes for family meals and restaurants alike. In the sweltering summer heat, few things are more delightful than tucking into dishes made with these flowers.

Cooks choose large clusters of flowers. After washing and soaking, they are trimmed into small, bite-sized sprigs and cooked into dishes such as soup with bones, minced pork or crab. Tonkin jasmine stir-fried with beef or added to hot pots is also a treat. Besides being nutritious, the flowers help cool the body and promote good sleep.

Banana blossoms 

The banana blossom is a humble flower close to the hearts of Vietnamese people. The purple banana blossoms of the lowlands seem made for simple yet delicious dishes.

The most popular is probably banana blossom salad, known as nom hoa chuoi in the North and goi bap chuoi in the South. It brings together sour, spicy, sweet and salty flavors with the slight astringency of the blossom, the crunchy richness of pig's ears, the nuttiness of peanuts and the freshness of herbs.

Banana blossoms also go into home-style dishes such as banana blossom soup, bun bung (vermicelli soup) and pork hock stewed with banana blossom, or are served as a side of fresh greens, all delicious.

Yellow squash blossoms 

Squash blossoms are used in soups and garlic stir-fries, and stuffed squash blossoms are a particularly unusual treat. Besides being tasty, squash blossoms are also highly nutritious, containing plenty of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and many vitamins.

After cutting the blossoms, people usually remove the bitter stamens inside, then boil, stir-fry, steam or cook them in soups with dried shrimp, clams, baby clams or crab, or stir-fry them with beef or pork. The simplest way is to boil them: a quick dip in boiling water is enough to cook them. Lift them out, let them cool, squeeze out some water and dip them in the sauce from braised pork or braised fish for a wonderful treat. 

We hope this article from VN Cooking has given you useful information about unique dishes made from flowers, and that you can add variety to your meals by working them into your everyday menu.