Pick a willow bud and talk about it.

In early spring, on both sides of the Yangtze River, willows began to sprout to welcome the spring. From a distance, they are like green smoke clouds, which are quite poetic and refreshing. The fledgling goose yellow is the most tender willow bud and a delicious "wild vegetable" in spring. If you miss it, you will have to wait until next year. Within half a month, catkins are flying all over the sky, and willow buds become lush green leaves, and you can't bite them.

Willow leaves are bitter, cool and non-toxic, and have the functions of eliminating phlegm, improving eyesight, clearing away heat and detoxifying. The content of vitamins and minerals in willow buds is very high, and the content of iodine is also very rich. The experimental data show that the iodine content of fresh willow leaves per kilogram is 10 mg, which is 1000 times that of ordinary food. Therefore, willow buds have the reputation of "longevity vegetables". Besides making tea, it is nothing new to eat willow buds as "wild vegetables". Since ancient times, northern Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and other places have always kept the custom of eating willow buds in spring. Most modern urbanites have a shallow understanding of the value of willow buds, and they know nothing about how to eat them. They always regard it as a landscape. The most common way to eat willow buds is grazing. A chef in Hangzhou mixed willow buds with bamboo shoots and leeks, which was especially popular with diners. Some people ridiculed it as "cold spring".

Whenever the grass just turns green, it is the golden moment to pick willow buds. Every year at this time, I will go to the river to pick some and make spicy willow buds, because my family likes this and there are always CDs.

300 grams of willow buds.

Seasoning ginger and minced garlic 2 shallots chopped pepper 1 spoon soy sauce 1 spoon soy sauce 1 spoon salt 1 g a little sugar sesame oil 1 spoon mountain pepper oil 1 spoon.

working methods

(1) Pick the tender buds, if there are a few buds, pick them, wash them, drain the water, add water to the iron pot to boil, pour the washed willow buds into the pot, soak them quickly, take them out and squeeze them dry (don't use too much force);

(2) Put the willow buds in a bowl, soak them in clear water for 2 hours, drain the water, then put them in boiling water for the second time, and drain the water for later use;

(3) Peel and cut ginger, peel and cut garlic cloves, wash shallots and cut into small pieces, put oil in a hot pot to 50% heat, add minced ginger and garlic, chopped green onion and chopped pepper, stir-fry until fragrant, and then add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, mountain pepper oil and white sugar.

(4) Add salt and shallots before taking out the pot, stir well, turn off the fire, pour them directly into the willow buds while they are hot, and stir well with chopsticks. A plate of fresh and delicious cold willow buds is ready and comes with the breath of spring.

① Cold willow buds pay attention to one fresh and one tender, and the newly sprouted goose yellow buds taste the best. When the goose yellow turns green, don't pick the flowering ones, they will get old. The newly picked willow buds should be treated as soon as possible, because the buds are tender and easy to dehydrate and dry.

② Willow buds contain a lot of tannins, that is, tannic acid, which brings bitterness to willow buds. If the bitterness is not removed, the taste of willow buds will be greatly reduced. Therefore, it is necessary to repeatedly blanch twice before cold salad to remove bitterness and give full play to the refreshing and beautiful side of willow buds. Some people prefer the bitter taste of willow buds, just blanch them.

(3) Because we Hunan people like spicy food, and my family especially likes the taste of mountain pepper, chopped spicy and mountain pepper oil are added to the cold willow buds. In fact, the seasoning of cold salad can be adjusted according to personal preference, such as sprinkling some cooked sesame seeds or a few cooked peanuts with different styles.

(4) Don't pick waste water, try to be near the chemical plant and on the roadside. Not only is there pollution from sewage, heavy metals and chemicals, but there are also many vehicles coming and going, and the tail gas can not be underestimated. In addition, don't pick trees as scenery appreciation. First, it may be poisoned by pesticides without knowing it; Second, it is detrimental to the scenery.

In fact, the practice of willow buds is far more than cold salad. In addition to cold salad, cooking methods such as steaming, boiling and frying are eclectic, such as frequent use of soup and stuffing. Scrambled eggs with willow buds, fish soup, pancakes, steamed stuffed buns, jiaozi and tofu are all delicious. If you want to taste the "wild vegetable" of willow buds, you might as well try it yourself. Maybe there will be a little surprise waiting for you.