Seared Daylily Buds
Enjoy these seared daylily buds as a side for your summer dinner. They’re spicy and garlicky, soft and slightly caramelized, and done in minutes. Serve alongside tofu, used to top rice, or enjoy with your favorite salad for a delicious and simply foraged meal.
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How to Forage Daylilies
Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site to the best of my ability, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your identification. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.
Daylily shoots aren’t for beginners. So, while I do have a few pointers, those seeking to consume daylily shoots will need to put their due diligence in learning to identify them. Daylily shoots rise up from tubers underground, and have alternate, spiked leaves that arch outwards. I personally feel safest eating daylily shoots that grow in areas that I know from the previous summer contain only daylilies, as the flowers are easier to identify than the shoots. The shoots can be mistaken for iris shoots, which are darker in color and the leaves flatter- additionally, iris plants don’t have the tubers daylilies do. When you cut daylily shoots, look for ones that aren’t longer than your hand (after that they become tougher), and only cut a small percentage of the available plants to keep the patch healthy. The shoots will very likely grow back again that same season, but it’s better to be reserved.
It is really important you know that you’re eating daylilies, and not lilies. I’m even going to put this part in bold, because it really does matter. While daylilies are edible, many lilies are poisonous. You don’t want to eat lilies, but daylilies have edible flower, buds, shoots, and tubers. Look at the leaves and stems. Daylilies have multiple stems that are long and come from a large clump of long, narrow leaves at the base of the stems. There are buds and flowers at the tops of the stems, but there should not be any leaves going up the stems. Lilies, on the other hand, grow from single stems (although there could be other lilies planted closely by). The stem of a lily will have many leaves growing from them up the entire stalk.
When gathering the buds, you can use both the smaller, greener, tighter buds as well as the slightly orange tinged, more developed ones. The younger buds will keep their shape better, but I found a mix of the two to be ideal.
Looking for Daylily Recipes? Try one of these!
- Foraged Daylily Shoots Spring Rolls
- July’s Peach and Daylily Salad
- Vegan Daylily Recipe: Simply Sautéed Daylily Shoots
- Daylily Flower Vegetable Lo Mein
How to Make Seared Daylily Buds
Once you foraged your daylily buds, this recipe is super simple and all about hot and fast. Start by heating your oil to a medium high or high heat depending on how hot your stove runs. You’re going to sauté the onions, garlic, ginger, and dried chili peppers together to create an aromatic oil. Once your kitchen is smelling of delicious garlicky goodness, you can add the daylily buds. They only need a couple minutes at a high heat to soften, and potentially develop a little char. Stir them a few times to ensure even cooking. Next you’re going to add soy sauce and black vinegar for flavor, and cook just a minute or two to let the soy sauce caramelize. The final step is going to be seasoning it with salt and pepper (I recommend Szechuan pepper for its numbing quality), and top with green onions, along with a little bit of sesame oil if desired. I think it adds a little richness and nutty flavor. That’s really all there is to it. This is a delicious side dish, and goes perfectly with roasted tofu and rice.
Seared Daylily Buds
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
- 1/2 lb. daylily buds
- 1/2 medium purple onion
- 1 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. grated ginger
- 3-4 dried Thai chili peppers
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. black vinegar
- 1 scallion
- Salt and Sichuan pepper, to taste
- Sesame oil to finish (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse your daylily buds and pat dry. Slice the onion into thin half moons, slice the garlic, and grate the ginger. Finely chop the scallion, and set aside.
- Heat a couple tablespoons of oil on medium-high in a skillet. Once hot add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers, stirring, until fragrant. Add the daylily buds, and cook for a couple minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the soy sauce and black vinegar, stir, and cook for another minute.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the cut scallion, and a drizzle of sesame oil if desired.
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