Here's everything worth knowing about lily buds, dried and how to pick them, what they is, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 10 recipes to cook tonight.

What is lily buds, dried?

Dried lily buds are the slender, golden, unopened flower buds of the daylily, dried until they look like thin amber twigs an inch or two long.

In Chinese kitchens they go by gum jum, which means golden needles. You will also see them labeled tiger lily buds or dried day lily buds.

They bring a mild, faintly sweet, slightly musky flavor. Once soaked they take on a chewy-tender texture that holds up to stir-frying and simmering, so they are a texture and aroma ingredient as much as a flavor one.

A quiet thread runs through many vegetarian and Buddhist dishes because of them.

These are not the lily bulb scales sometimes sold fresh for soup. They are the dried flower buds, and they anchor several classic dishes rather than working as a garnish.

Cooking With Golden Needles

Always soak them first. Cover the dried buds in warm water for about 30 minutes until they turn pliable and swell back to life, then drain and squeeze out the excess.

The next step is the one people skip. Trim off the hard little knob at the stem end of each bud, the part that stays tough and woody no matter how long you cook it.

Many cooks then tie each softened bud into a single loose knot, which keeps it from falling apart and gives a tidy bite.

After that they go straight into the dish. They earn their keep in Chinese Hot & Sour Soup, where they add chewy strands alongside wood ear mushrooms and tofu, and they turn up again in a Favourite Hot & Sour Soup.

They are a defining vegetable in the meatless lunar new year stew known as Buddha's vegetarian feast, and they play the same role in mu shu pork, folded into the egg and pork filling. You will also find them in Chinese New Year Noodles and stir-fries like Ten Tasty Vegetables.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Lily buds belong to the dried-goods corner of the Chinese pantry. They pair naturally with wood ear and shiitake mushrooms, with bean thread noodles and tofu, and with a soy-ginger-sesame braise.

Their gentle flavor means they take on whatever broth they cook in.

The biggest mistake is leaving the woody stem end on. That tough tip never softens, and biting one is the difference between a refined dish and a fibrous one. Pinch or snip it off after soaking.

The second mistake is treating them as a main flavor. They are subtle, so they work best as one element in a layered dish, not as the star.

Push them through a hard boil and the strands go from pleasantly chewy to mushy and stringy, so add them in the back half of a long simmer.

Substitutes

There is no true stand-in for that floral chew, but you can keep a dish on track. The closest in spirit is rehydrated wood ear or shiitake mushroom cut into thin strips, which brings a similar chewy texture even if the flavor differs.

For texture alone, thin strips of bamboo shoot or reconstituted bean thread noodles fill the gap in a soup. In a hot and sour soup you can leave the lily buds out and lean harder on the wood ear and mushrooms; the dish loses a layer but still works.

None of these copy the faint sweet-musky aroma. If a recipe is built around golden needles, it is worth seeking out the real thing.

Buying and Storing Lily Buds

Look for dried lily buds in Chinese and other East Asian groceries, sold in cellophane bags near the dried mushrooms and wood ear. Choose buds that are flexible and pale gold to amber; dark, brittle ones are old and will taste flat.

A little goes a long way, since they swell several times their dried size once soaked.

Store them like any dried good, in a sealed jar or zip bag away from light and humidity, where they keep for a year or more.

If they pick up moisture and feel damp, dry them out before they can mold. A spell of high humidity is the usual reason a bag turns musty, so a tight seal and a cool shelf are all they really need.

Quick facts

In Chinese

百合芽，干

British (UK) term

Lily buds, dried

en français

bourgeons lis, séchées

en español

botones de lirios, secas

Recipes using lily buds, dried

There are 10 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 10 recipes