Among other species of Hibiscus, Red Sorrel hibiscus, Cranberry hibiscus and the Chinese Hibiscus are edible with a sweet-sour taste with many health benefits.
Let’s see what dishes we can make with this beautiful flower:
Chutneys: Hibiscus chutneys prepared with Hibiscus flower petals, shallots, chillies, tamarind juice, jaggery, and salt and seasoned with ghee, mustard seeds, urad dal, and curry leaves, go well with rice, idli, or dosa.
Hibiscus Juice: Just boil hibiscus petals with 3-4 mint leaves and star anise. After cooling add slices of fruits like apple, mango, and pineapple and lemon juice. Refrigerate it and serve chilled.
Hibiscus cakes: Using Hibiscus flowers in cakes gives them a gorgeous texture and taste. Both Hibiscus raw flowers and dried flowers are used in cakes. You can follow any suitable Hibiscus cake recipes from YouTube.
Teas: Mix one cup of dried Hibiscus flower in boiling water and leave it for 5 minutes to soak in colour and taste. Strain the tea and enjoy hot or chilled. You can also add cardamom or lemon to enhance the taste.
Rasam: Give the South Indian dish Rasam a Hibiscus twist by adding it to the original Rasam recipe.
Stir-fried: Just like the Kerala dish Thoran, you can enjoy Hibiscus flowers as a stir-fried dish with coconut, veggies, and spices.