Scrolling through Instagram, looking around the trend of adding flowers to your food? Want your salad to be as pretty and nutritious as the gram? Wondering what edible flowers taste like?
You will be shocked to know that local edible flowers are available around your market. You don't need to buy expensive exported edible flowers to add to your salad, or opt for hibiscus and rose. These local edible flowers can make a great dish out of their own distinct flavour and nutrition, or you can add them by mixing and matching various taste profiles of different regions.
Get to know about these local flowers that are available and popular in Jharkhand; taste new dimensions of tribal and traditional Jharkhand cuisine.
Local Edible Flowers Of Jharkhand To Discover
Sanai Phool
Sanai Phool is initially slightly bitter, but when cooked, it has a mild, earthy flavour that goes well with tomatoes and onions. Sanai Phool can be enjoyed as a saag with 15 minutes of cooking, or you can add it with other stir-fries preparation. It cannot be eaten raw because of its bitter taste but can be blanched with salt and mustard oil for close representation.
Kachnar Phool
Kachnar phool is from the Bauhinia tree and blooms with white or pink flowers with a mild taste. In Jharkhand, the Kachnar Phool is used in dishes like kachnar curry, which is cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spices. One can also make sabzi as they like from it.
As it has a tangy-sweet taste, one can add it to salads. It will make it pretty and unique. Also, you can stir-fry the flowers with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and vegetables like bell peppers and snap peas.
Pumpkin Flower
During the monsoon season, kumro phool is cultivated widely across India, including in Jharkhand. You can see local houses with orange flowers blooming in fuzzy climbers in the shed. Those greens and flowers are often pumpkin plants. Kumro phool pakora and kumuro patta dal are very popular and well-known in the eastern states of India.
Jirhul
Looking for something lavender-like but unique? There are more options other than orchids to add. Jirhul is vibrant red or pink blooms with a cranberry-like flavour. In Jharkhand, these flowers often make chutney similar to roselle blooms. The flowers are cooked with sugar, spices, and sometimes chilli. The delicate, pretty colour turns brown once cooked. But even raw flowers are edible in small amounts, making them a perfect modern garnish. A great childhood snack with some lemon drops and sugar.
Khulfa Phool
This flower is very difficult to forage even when found in abundance. Most of the time, the whole plant is eaten together. The Khulfa plant is a wild weed with tiny yellow flowers. Due to its tiny size, these are great garnishes. It is like spinach mostly and can be made into fritters or pakoras for a delightful snack.
Bok Phool
Bok Phool, also known as Agati or Hummingbird tree flower. These trees bloom with white or pink flowers that have a slightly bitter taste. It is a unique-looking huge flower that will make everyone wonder if it is a fruit. Bok phool bhaja is a popular dish where the flowers are dipped in a spiced batter and deep-fried. These flowers are not edible in their raw state.