During the Qingming Festival, mugwort is at its freshest, and it's a tradition in many places to eat dishes made with mugwort around this time. The most classic dishes are mugwort rice balls and mugwort-boiled eggs. March is when mugwort is at its most tender and best for eating, which is why it is also known as Qingming vegetable in some areas. If you find making mugwort glutinous rice cakes too much trouble, try making mugwort-boiled eggs instead.
Mugwort-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Main ingredients: 250g mugwort, 2 eggs. Condiments: an appropriate amount of oil, an appropriate amount of salt, an appropriate amount of red carrot.
Preparation Steps
1. After washing the mugwort leaves, knead them to squeeze out the bitter water. Heat up an appropriate amount of oil in a pan, then crack in a few eggs and fry until cooked; set aside for later use.
2. Add two bowls of water to the pot, bring to a boil, then add the fried eggs, red carrots, and mugwort leaves. Cook for five minutes before adding salt for seasoning.
3. After kneading the mugwort leaves, rinse off the bitter water so that the dish won't be bitter. Note: Use less salt for better flavor.
Mugwort-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Main ingredients: 2 eggs, 1 black chicken egg. Condiments: 20g mugwort leaves. Seasonings: 1 clove of garlic, 1 free-range egg, mugwort leaves.
Preparation Steps
1. Soak the washed mugwort leaves, changing the water three times during the process.
2. Add an appropriate amount of water to the pot and bring to a boil with the mugwort leaves. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the mugwort leaves and reserve the water for later use.
3. Cut a piece of cheesecloth into a square large enough to wrap around the eggs. Place the mugwort leaves in the center of the cheesecloth, wrap the eggs, and secure tightly with cotton thread. Wrap the brown eggs, shell eggs, and free-range eggs in the same way.
4. Add the eggs to the mugwort water, along with one clove of garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and add rock sugar. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Mugwort Cupcakes
Ingredients
Main ingredients: 70g butter, 70g sugar, 80g eggs, 5ml lemon juice, 2g mugwort powder. Condiments: 110g low-gluten flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 30ml milk, 150g whipped cream, an appropriate amount of colorful candies.
Preparation Steps
1. Cut the butter into small pieces and mix with the sugar. Beat continuously with an electric whisk until the butter becomes fluffy and white.
2. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them. Add the beaten eggs to the butter in five parts, beating well after each addition until the eggs are fully incorporated before adding the next part.
3. After adding all the eggs, add the lemon juice and mugwort powder, mixing thoroughly. Then add the flour, baking powder, and salt, followed by the milk, stirring until a batter forms.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spoon the batter evenly into muffin cups and bake on the middle rack for approximately 25 minutes.
5. Let the cupcakes cool, then top with whipped cream to finish.
Mugwort Rice Balls
Ingredients
Main ingredients: an appropriate amount of mugwort leaves, 100g glutinous rice flour. Condiments: an appropriate amount of peanuts, an appropriate amount of white sesame seeds, an appropriate amount of sesame seeds. Seasonings: an appropriate amount of lard, an appropriate amount of sugar.
Preparation Steps
1. Mix the peanuts, sugar, lard, and white sesame seeds to make the filling. Set aside. Remove the stems from the mugwort leaves, blanch in boiling water, then remove and chop into small pieces.
2. Blend the mugwort leaves with an appropriate amount of water to form a paste.
3. In a large bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour and wheat starch. Add the mugwort paste and an appropriate amount of sugared water, kneading until a smooth dough forms. Roll the dough into a long strip and cut into small sections.
4. Flatten each section into a circle, fill with the filling, seal, and place on a lotus leaf. Garnish with black sesame seeds and steam for 15 minutes.