Purslane, a Deeply Misunderstood Wonder Herb
What was labeled by Euell Gibbons, the American expert on wild food, as ‘India’s gift to the world,’ is treated here as poor man’s spinach, under the name ‘Luni bhaji’ and ‘Kulfa.’ But slowly, purslane is gaining recognition in herbal medicine as a purgative, emollient, muscle relaxant and more; it is finding its way to salads and sauces at restaurants by notable chefs. Rashi Goel looks at this misunderstood herb.
When Asmita, our kitchen garden consultant, showed up with a few Purslane saplings, I was hesitant to plant them; I knew it as an invasive weed. Why would I want to plant something that could potentially take over the herb patch?
“It’s always a good idea to start with a few plants that grow easily, so as to not be discouraged at the beginning of one’s home-farming adventure,” she advised sagely. “I like some purslane on top of my omelette, or in a savoury pancake, or even in soups to beef up nutrition.”
Purslane with the small yellow flowers is the most nutritious edible variety. “Purslane comes in two varieties, the wild edible one with tiny yellow flowers, and the ornamental variety that has larger purple, pink or white flowers.” Shruti Tharayil, an expert on wild foods and foraging, educates me. “This is not to say that the ornamental variety is not edible – you could still eat it, but it is not as nutritious and definitely doesn’t taste as good as the wild one.”
The origin of purslane can be traced as far back as Biblical times. In the book of Job 6:6, the prophet Job asks, “Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there taste in the slime of the purslane?” This 'slime' refers to the mucilaginous nature of purslane.
A Roman naturalist and philosopher, Gaius Plinius Secundus, who lived between 24-79 AD, more popularly known as Pliny the Elder, authored a book called Naturalis Historia, which went on to become the basis for many an encyclopaedia on Natural History. In this book too there is mention of Purslane, one of the many vegetables eaten by the Romans.
The famous American wild food expert, Euell Gibbons, an advocate of nutritious yet neglected plants, called Purslane India’s gift to the world. He was a passionate collector of plants. In fact he called out many gardeners for discarding the healthy and tasty Purslane from their spinach beds, mis-identifying it as a weed.
“In India, people have very much heard of Purslane – it was widely consumed in rural parts of the country, but it is slowly disappearing now,” says Shruti Tharayil. Purslane is often known as the poor man’s spinach. Dr Maryanne Lobo, a health coach and nutritionist, explains that Purslane was not native to India, and was actually brought here by traders to Gujarat. “Many Ayurvedic texts that originated there mention this herb. This likely explains how Mahatma Gandhi, upon learning that it grew on his Ashram grounds, started to eat it regularly, and spreading the word about its nutritional value. Gujarati dishes like Muthiya and Thepla are often made using generous quantities of purslane.”
In India alone, there are a multitude of local recipes that use purslane. Across India, recipes pair it with meats and other vegetables to create healthy, delicious dishes. Known as Luni bhaji in the North of India, and Kulfa elsewhere, Shruti Tharayil from Forgotten Greens points out that it is also known as ‘Ghol chi bhaji’ an easy-to-cook, nutritious Maharashtrian-style stir-fry eaten with Bhakri.
Sai Sabnis, a chef who combines whole foods and nutrition with fine dining uses Purslane “as much as she can get her hands on it” in her superfood salad subscriptions as well as in her catering. “Purslane lends itself brilliantly to plated dishes because of its beautiful form, its tart flavour and succulent, fleshy texture. It’s also a great garnish element.” She adds that her work is the perfect canvas for using foraged and lesser-known elements that are not commonly found in supermarkets.
Meghana Shrivastava, owner of Verandah in Mandrem, Goa happened to chance upon Purslane when she began sourcing greens for her restaurant from Tanya Fernandes of Edricia Farms in Siolim, Goa. “When Tanya sent us the greens, a variety of them would come bunched together and we had to segregate them before we could use them. This is actually how we came across purslane. We had to do a lot of research on it before we could incorporate it into our menu.” Meghana highlights the chewy, thick texture of the leaves and says that while they make a great addition to the salad, they’re quite a mouthful to chew if the leaves form the bulk of the salad. After experimenting with Purslane extensively, the restaurant now highlights the ingredient on their menu – it is served as a small salad alongside their meats, and as an addition to some of their broths. It is even the star in one dish wherein it is stir fried with garlic and Asian spices. Given the citrusy flavour and versatility of purslane, it goes very well with Indian food. It can be thrown into dals and also stuffed into paranthas.
Globally, Purslane has been in food conversations for centuries. Its use in salads was first popularised by the 16th century herbalist, John Gerard who said it goes well with oil, salt and vinegar. In the book, ‘Acetaria, a discourse of Sallets,’ possibly the first ever salad cook book, author John Evelyn, a London-based gentleman farmer penned the recipe for a purslane pickle. Author Henry David Thoreau, in his book Walden, talks about how purslane from his garden, “boiled and salted, has fed him many a satisfactory dinner.”
Across the world, this herb is finding its way to salads and sauces concocted by notable chefs. From being used as pesto in European restaurants, to a chimichurri in South American countries, Purslane is so accommodating and versatile that it can substitute greens in most recipes. It also pairs very well with rich meats such as lamb, pork and beef.
Further, it grows easily, packs a lemony flavour punch, is versatile and nutritious. So why is purslane not as popular? Tanya Fernandes who sells purslane from her farm believes its reputation as a weed is an obstacle to widespread use. “Restaurants don’t want to acknowledge the ingredient because most people know it to be a weed. No one wants to risk serving up what is seen as a common weed on their menu.” Chef Sai resonates similar sentiments. “What’s cultivated today is what brings sellers economic benefit and is not necessarily a representation of nutritional value. We live in the age of the business of food.” Purslane grows in backyard without much effort at all. “And mainstream chefs will not use anything that’s not easily available with suppliers.”
But homecooks have the power to harness this herb in their everyday cooking, so here’s a simple recipe for purslane.
RECIPE FOR MAUSHI’S GHOL CHI BHAJI
Ingredients
2.5 cups of cleaned purslane leaves (1 250ml cup)
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp peanuts, ground
1 tbsp besan / chickpea flour
1.5 tsp Goda masala (a Maharashtrian spice blend)
3 tbsp groundnut oil
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
⅓ cup water
Salt, to taste
Method
Wash and drain the purslane leaves. Set aside.
In the meanwhile, heat a pan, add 3 tbsp of groundnut oil and add 1 tsp cumin seeds
Add sliced onions and saute until translucent
In the meanwhile, in another pan, roast the peanuts and coarsely grind them. Set aside.
Once the onions have turned translucent, add the purslane leaves.
Add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well.
Now add the coarsely ground peanut powder, besan or chickpea flour and goda masala along with 1/3rd cup of water.
Cover the pan with the lid, cook it for sometime until its done. Switch off the flame and serve it piping hot with bhakri, roti or phulkas.
Notes
Adjust the red chilli powder according to your spice tolerance.
Groundnut oil is meant to bring out the best flavor for Maharashtrian recipes, but you can use any other oil too.
Purslane leaves reduce in volume when cooked making this recipe enough for two people.
Rashi Goel is an independent journalist living in Goa who writes about environmental sustainability, parenting, and health and wellness. She blogs about sustainable living on www.greenokplease.com and you can follow her on @rashicreates.
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