Pretty Vegetable Flower Decorations
【Super Easy】Beautiful Flower Decorations Anyone Can Make!
No need for a special occasion! Easily create beautiful flower decorations at home with ingredients you already have. Even if you don’t consider yourself crafty, anyone can make these super simple flowers. They add a lovely touch to any dish, from fried rice to salads!
Ingredients- A little radish
- A little cucumber
- A little carrot
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, slice the radish into half-moon shapes of a suitable size. This step determines the size of your flower petals.
Step 2
Slice the cut radish as thinly as possible. Using a mandoline slicer is highly recommended for thin, uniform slices. Once thinly sliced, arrange the radish pieces side-by-side in a straight line, overlapping slightly.
Step 3
Starting from one end, carefully roll up the overlapped radish slices, similar to how you’d wrap petals. Secure the roll with a toothpick to prevent it from unraveling. Trim off the excess end for a neat finish.
Step 4
To enhance the flower’s appearance, gently fold back the outer radish slices to create a more open, bloom-like effect, and secure them with the toothpick. This gives a natural, blooming look.
Step 5
Finally, carefully remove the toothpick with scissors. Your radish flower decoration is now beautifully complete!
Step 6
Now, let’s make a flower decoration using cucumber! Slice the cucumber thinly, just like the radish. Place the sliced cucumber on a paper towel to absorb excess moisture; this helps the shape hold better.
Step 7
Arrange the moisture-drained cucumber slices in a straight line, overlapping them. Thin slicing is crucial here as well for delicate results.
Step 8
Roll up the cucumber slices from one end, just as you did with the radish. Cucumber flowers are great for creating delicate details.
Step 9
Secure the rolled cucumber flower with a toothpick to maintain its shape. It’s a simple yet charming decoration.
Step 10
Cucumber flowers look lovely but can become soft quickly. It’s best to use them as decoration for dishes that will be eaten immediately. Avoid packing them in airtight containers for extended periods, like in lunch boxes.
Step 11
If you can slice the cucumber even thinner, you can create an even more delicate and beautiful flower. The thinner the slices, the more refined the petal appearance.
Step 12
Slicing thinly like this will result in a significantly prettier flower. Those delicate details truly elevate the presentation of your dish.
Step 13
While carrot flowers are also pretty, using pickled radish wraps (ssammu) often yields better results for shaping. If using carrots, lightly salting them before use can make them firmer and easier to shape beautifully.
Step 14
A word of caution: if you slice the vegetables too thickly, they might break easily, like this! (This is what can happen ㅠ) Always aim for the thinnest possible slices when making flower decorations. Thin slices are flexible and bend gracefully to form beautiful flower shapes.
Step 15
These vegetable flower decorations look absolutely stunning when placed on fried rice or any other dish! They also pair wonderfully with parsley, lettuce, or baby greens for a salad garnish. (In the example photo, I used perilla leaves, which are what I had at home ^^)
Step 16
Feel free to experiment with other vegetables you have at home, such as kohlrabi or beets. Thinly sliced ham also makes for cute flower decorations! Get creative and make your own unique garnishes.
