The Greens - Nutritional Information

 Green leaves like Mullai (முல்லை), Mushuttai (முசுட்டை), Ponnangkani (பொன்னாங்காணி), Vallarai (வல்லாரை), Drumstick leaves, Agathi (அகத்தி), Muzhai Keerai (முளைக்கீரை), Thavasi Murungai (தவசி முருங்கை) leaves, Chandi (சண்டி) leaves, Curry leaves (கறிவேப்பிலை), Spinach leaves (பசளி), Thuthuvalai (தூதுவளை) are generally green leaves eaten by people of Yarlpanam in addition to many others which I do not know. They also ate cabbage in plenty and this was also a common dish in their meal.

These are eaten in different forms as Sambal, Varai, and Masial etc.  The green leaves have iron and vitamin C in abundance. Some have additional qualities which are mentioned as necessary. Some leaves are also added in curries for their flavour.

Agathi - Sesbania Grandiflora

This is small tree providing leaves and is used for cooking. The leaves are extensively used in cooking in Sri Lanka and South India. Its flowers are used in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam for food. Only young leaves should be used for cooking and must be removed from the tree in the morning.

It is claimed that the the leaves have helped smokers to get rid of the body heat and excess bile. In short Agathi reduces our body heat. It is cooling and helps to bring down fever. It is bitter in taste and an antidote for poisons. It is known to be a laxative and helps digestion.

See Agathi Varai recipe - Click here

See Agathi Sodhi - Click here

  Cabbage

Cabbage is very common long standing vegetable consumed throughout the world. This is an inexpensive sturdy vegetable available in abundance throughout the year. It is widely cultivated and keeps well and hence available throughout the year. Cabbage is round in shape with layers of superimposed leaves with inner leaves being lighter in colour due to non exposure to sunlight.

There are three different types of Cabbage- green, red and Savoy. The red and green cabbages are crinkly in texture and crunchier than the Savoy variety. Whatever the variety is the inside is cleaner and of lighter colour. Even though the inside of the cabbage is clean you should cut the cabbage and wash under running water. Sometimes worms or insects can appear in cabbages grown organically and inspection and cleaning is a must.

To cut cabbage into smaller pieces, first quarter it and remove the core and then cut into slices of varying thickness, grated by hand or shredded in a food processor.

Nutritional Information:

Contains Vitamin C and is an antioxidant.

 Consumption of cabbage is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian, colon and bladder cancer. Also it provides significant cardiovascular benefits as well. It provides protection against Alzheimer's disease. Red cabbage juice is well documented as effective in treating peptic ulcers.

In addition cabbage contains full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fibre, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Disadvantages:

Cabbage contains a naturally occurring substance - goitrogens that can interfere with the functioning of the thyroid gland. Individuals with already existing and untreated thyroid problems should avoid cabbage for this reason.

 For Cabbage recipe - Click here.

Drumstick leaves -Moringa oleifera

         Murungai tree

   Murungai leaves

Drumstick tree grows quickly and provides tasty and nutritious food and is resilient and common in tropical areas.  It is abundant in Yarlpanam and is grown in most homes for its fruit and leaves. It is all natural, inexpensive and accessible multivitamin. The tree leaves are very rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, protein, Calcium and Potassium. Apart from the leaves the flowers are also eaten as well as the fruits in the form of curries - a very frequent dish accompanied with rice. The fruits are bright green in colour and have a tubular wavy appearance. In Yarlpanam, the drumstick Paththia curry is a sought after dish for the invalids and nursing mothers. It also helps in the digestion.

The Murungai tree is used as a boundary fence in some areas of Yarlpanam.

It was known that Murungai has the ability to purify water for centuries. Recently this has been tested commercially. Powdered Murungai seeds when added to dirty water act as a coagulant binding bacteria and slit which fall to the bottom. The clean water can then be poured out of the vessel. But this is not being used commercially yet.

These are used extensively in food in most homes and loved by all. Leaves are eaten in the form of varai and used in Koozh recipes, fruits are cooked as curries.

To read Drumstick Varai recipe - Click here

To read Drumstick Curry - Click here

To read Koozh recipe - Click here

Mullai leaves - Or OOsimalligai

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Jasminum Auriculatum or Indian Jui or Jasminum Molle is a plant of Jasmine family. It is a creeper and has flowers which have a nice smell. The leaves of this plant also have a nice smell and are made use of to add flavour to curries and also added in sodhi.

Mushuttai- Rivea Hypocrateriformis

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This is again a pant and the leaves are used to make varai.

 Muzhai Keerai -  Amaranath leaves

This is  a small plant with leaves and flowers. Usually grows in wet areas and  can be cultivated from seeds. They are sold in the market and most often people use these leaves in the form of curry or masial. This is available in Yarlpanam in plenty and can be bought in the West in Sri Lankan shops.

See recipes- Click here.

 Ponnangkani - Illecebrum Sessile

This is a creeper throwing roots as it grows along at its nodes. It is an easy to grow plant. Stems have small leaves, flowers and seeds. It grows wild and can be grown at homes and also can be cultivated. Propagation is by planting stems with roots and is easy to grow.

It got its name Ponnangkani from its use. It is claimed that eating this regularly your body becomes golden colour! - Fair skin. It is a tasty dish when cooked and also it is claimed to help vision, encourage appetite and a good digestive agent and more.

See Ponnangkani Varai recipe - Click here

Spinach

Spinach is another common leaves that is cooked in Yarlpanam. This also grows fairly well in homes and is very easy to grow. 

There are different varieties of spinach.

Commonest form in Yarlpanam is a creeper with thick stems and broad leaves. Some varieties have green leaves and some others have pink or red striped leaves. We call these as Pasazhi.

There is another variety which is s a small plant that grows in wet areas and has a lump of leaves at its base. The outer leaves are broad and the inner leaves are thin and narrow. This variety is available in the West in all Indian shops.

Still another commonest variety is a small plant which flowers and has broad dark green, curly and crinkly leaves. The leaves are cut and bundled and sold in the supermarkets as fresh as well as frozen and in cans. This is also available in the West in Indian shops.

The spinach leaves are tasty to eat and easy to cook irrespective of the variety. They are also eaten in salad form in the West.

Nutritional values

Spinach has a large nutritional value, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. Spinach is known as a rich source of iron and calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, and several vital antioxidants. It is a source of folic acid, and this vitamin was first purified from spinach. To benefit from the folate in spinach, it is better to steam it than to boil it. Boiling spinach for four minutes can halve the level of folate. When cooked, the volume of spinach is decreased by three quarters. 

See Spinach recipe - Click here

Thavasi Murungai- Justicia tranquebarensis

The leaves of this plant are used in herbal medicine and as food. These leaves are bitter in taste and usually leaves from home grown plants are used for food. The leaves are used as varai and eaten with rice and other curries. When the leaves are squeezed and the juice is drunk, it treats runny nose and dry cough.

See Thavasi Murungai recipe - Click here.

  Thuthuvalai- Solanum trilobatum

This is a creeper used in herbal medicine. This grows well in damp areas and grows very freely. The leaves are dark green in colour. This creeper and the leaves have small thorns. This plant bears flowers and fruits and the seeds are the form of propagation. Many homes have this grown in their gardens.

 This can be eaten as sambal with rice and other curries and is a common dish in Yarlpanam.

This reduces cough and phlegm in addition to improving digestive functions. The leaves are very much used in herbal medicine for chest disease and digestive disorders.

See Thuthuvalai recipe - Click here

Vallarai - Indian Pennywort

This is slender perennial creeper found throughout tropical regions of the world. In shallow waters the plant puts floating roots and the leaves rest on the top. In dry locations it puts out numerous roots and the leaves are thin and small. This plant prefers marshy damp and wet places like paddy fields, grass areas and river banks. This is harvested from wild but can be grown and cultivated. Among other places, it grows well in Sri Lanka and mostly exported to the West from there. 

Benefits and uses:

Vallarai has been used for centuries for helping a variety of illness like blood pressure, rheumatism, fever and mental disorders. Patients with varicose veins have benefitted from increase in vascular tone. This has been used externally for burns, psoriasis and for prevention of scar formation from surgery and treatment of fistulas. This has been also used to help patients with insomnia due to it's a sedative effect.

Vallarai is rich in iron, calcium Vitamin A, C

 How to use:

In the morning eat fresh raw leaves about 4 to 6 daily to improve mental function and memory. It can be eaten as salad as well as sambal and is delicious to eat.

To read Vallarai Sambal recipes- Click here

To read Vallarai Salad - Click here