Fried Dandelions

Dandelions are weeds that grow on lawns and grassy areas throughout the United States. Did you know you can eat dandelions? You can eat the leaves, roots, and flowers! We here at The Kinney Table tired it out ourselves! They taste like a sweet salad green that is cooked. We fried them in tempura batter when we tried them. Did you know that dandelions have health benefits? Dandelions aid in liver health and reduce inflammation. They are highly nutritious and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Whether eaten raw or cooked, dandelions are a great source of vitamins A, C, and K. You will also find iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The fiber helps to keep your gut and digestive tract healthier. How did we cook up our dandelions? We picked a bunch of them right from our own backyard! Please keep in mind when picking them that you don't get any that may have been sprayed with insecticides or other chemicals. Here is a recipe below for how we cooked up our delicious dandelions! They are surprisingly delicious!

Fried Dandelions 【┘】Time: 30 Minutes

Freshly fried dandelions from our backyard - an unexpected and delicious treat! Simple pleasures, the whole family will love! YOU WILL NEED:

• 30 Freshly picked Dandelions

• Box of tempura batter

• Ice cold water

• Canola oil

• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start by preparing your dandelions. Remove the blossoms and stems. You should be left with the yellow flower and some green directly attached to the flower.

2. Place the dandelions in a bowl of water and sprinkle with 1TBS of salt. Leave to soak for about 10 minutes. This will remove any bugs that may still be in the flowers.

3. Rinse off the dandelions in a colander and place each one on a paper towel (Yellow flower facing down) to help them dry. Alternatively, you can use a salad spinner.

4. Dry off our bowl or grab a separate bowl and mix together a 1/2 cup of tempura batter and 6TBS of ice-cold water. If you gathered double the amount of dandelions, you can use the original box instructions: 1 cup of batter mix and 3/4 cup of ice-cold water.

5. Fold your dandelions into your tempura batter.

6. Pour about 1-2 cups of canola oil into a pot or pan of your choice. Let this oil heat up on medium heat for about 5 minutes. We are going to shallow fry these dandelions.

7. Once your oil is heated, you can slowly add in each of your dandelions. Cook until golden brown (about 3 minutes on each side).

8. Remove dandelions from the oil and place them on a paper towel to get off excess oil. Sprinkle with salt and enjoy!
   

First, you want to collect your dandelions!

Remove the blossoms and stems.

Soak in a bowl of water with 1TBS of salt for 10 minutes.

Rinse and strain your dandelions in a colander.

Set each flower on a paper towel to dry off.

Mix up tempura batter and add in your dandelions.

Shallow fry the dandelions in canola oil until golden brown. (About 3 minutes on each side)

Place fried dandelions onto a paper towel and enjoy!