Name: Malabar spinach, also called Ceylon spinach, vine spinach or alugbati (Basella alba and Basella rubra) — a climbing vine with thick, glossy, succulent leaves, green or with red-purple stems. It is not a true spinach.
Description
Malabar spinach is native to tropical Asia, probably India and Southeast Asia, and is a popular leaf vegetable in India, China, Indonesia and the Philippines, as well as parts of Africa and the Caribbean. It thrives in heat, when true spinach bolts, which is why it is a useful hot-weather green.
The leaves are thick, mild and slightly peppery, with a mucilaginous, slippery texture when cooked, a little like okra, which thickens soups and stews. Red varieties have bright purple-red stems and add colour.
Main nutrition value
Malabar spinach provides vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and fibre, with antioxidants and a high water content.
How best to be consumed
Malabar spinach is cooked, which brings out its soft, slightly mucilaginous texture.
- Add to soups, dals and stews, where its slippery texture acts as a thickener.
- Stir-fry with garlic, chilli and shrimp paste, or with eggs.
- Use young, tender leaves in salads.
- Cook briefly to keep texture and colour.
- Grow it in a warm garden, where it climbs a trellis.
Overconsumption could cause…
Malabar spinach is safe in food amounts.
- Oxalates, which matter for people prone to kidney stones when eaten in very large amounts, and which reduce the absorption of calcium and iron from the leaves.
- Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.
- A slippery texture that some people dislike.
- A mild laxative effect from large amounts.
Wikipedia — Basella alba, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basella_alba
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