Delicate Zucchini Flowers with Rice

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I’m totally patting myself on the back for whipping up these gorgeous Zucchini Flowers with an awesome vegan stuffing. Let me tell you, these babies are a real treat, but they’ve got a short season. You won’t find zucchini flowers all over the market, so you bet I jumped on them when I spotted some at the organic market near my home. Cooking them isn’t too different from stuffing other veggies, but I have to say, these flowers are seriously delicate – like handle-with-care level delicate.

Zucchini Flowers

There are few tips about making the effort worthwhile; if you are picking the zucchini flowers from your garden you have to get up early before they close their flowers. Pick ones that are still orange, those that have turned brown will not work as good. You will need about 20+ flowers. If you cannot find this many, consider using onion layers. Which will cook at about the same time. Check my stuffed onion recipe for how to prepare the onions.

Handling the flowers

Do not wash the flowers under flowing water, they are so fragile, they will definitely rip. Put them in a bowl of water and keep them there for a while and then take them out to drain.

To prepare the flower take out the powdery yellow part in the middle and clean off the stalk. If you make a hole in the bottom while doing this, do not worry, it will still work-not the end of the world or the flower.

Vegan Rice Filling

The filling is a rich rice pilaf. So if you are out of flowers and you still have rice filling, you can serve it as a pilaf, side dish. My daughter loves eating it so. Once the filling is ready, as per the below recipe card, gently open the flower and stuff enough filling into it to fill it halfway. Then cover the leaves to form a small flower bundle.

Use a skillet, large enough so the flower bundles are not one on top of the other. When all the flowers are ready, make sure to cook this dish over really low heat.

Cook until the rice is well done and the flowers look ready.

Enjoy this light side dish with sprinkles of sumac and/or plain yogurt.

Print Pin

Stuffed Vegan Zucchini Flowers

Amazing flower treat, vegan.

Course Appetizer, Vegan

Cuisine Turkish

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 140kcal

Ingredients

Zucchini Flowers

• 20 zucchini flowers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoon warm water

Stuffing

• ½ cup rice rinsed and drained
• 3 onions grated or chopped well
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts
• 2 tablespoon currants washed, stalks discarded if any
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ bunch dill chopped
• ½ bunch parsley chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tomato grated
• ½ lemon’s juice
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch allspice
• 1 pinch dry mint flakes
• 100 millilitres olive oil
• ¾ cup warm water for cooking the rice
• 50 millilitres warm water for cooking the zucchini flowers

Garnish

• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 4-5 teaspoons plain yogurt

Instructions

Preparing Zucchini Flowers

• Pick zucchini flowers that are still orange and that have not turned brownish. Open gently the flowers and gently snap out the yellow powdery part in the middle. Cut off the stalk gently.
• Do not wash the flowers under flowing water, as the flowers are very fragile. Put enough water to soak all flowers in a bowl and gently place the flowers in the bowl. Keep in the water for about 5 minutes and set aside to drain.

Stuffing

• Add the olive oil to a medium sized pot and add the chopped onions. Stir.
• Add the pine nut and cook until the onions become translucent.
• Add the rice. Stir until rice becomes pearly.
• Add the tomato paste and stir.
• Add the currant, salt and sugar.
• Add ¾ cup of warm water. Mix and do not mix again until the water is absorbed. Close the lid. Reduce the heat to a minimum as soon as the water comes to a boil. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is just about ready.
• After closing the heat add the other spices, chopped parsley, dill, mint and lemon's juice to the rice. Mix well. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Stuffing and Cooking

• Gently open a zucchini flower and place a teaspoon of stuffing. Fill until halfway and then close the remaining parts to form a little flower bundle.
• Continue till all the flowers are finished.
• Add a tablespoon of olive oil into a skillet and place the zucchini flower bundles into the skillet. When all of them are ready pour about 50 millilitres of warm water.
• Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Taste a few rice to check whether the dish is ready to serve.
• Serve cold or warm with a lemon wedge or plain yogurt as a side dish. Sprinkle with sumac if available. Enjoy.

Notes

Do not over cook the rice when preparing the stuffing as it will continue to cook when stuffed in the flowers. 

You can use onions to replace the zucchini flowers if you run out of them. 

 

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