Purslane, Portulaca, Pigweed, whatever you want to call it, it’s a wonderful plant. Grown widely in Europe and Asia as a staple vegetable, it hasn’t quite made it to the Australian markets yet. But it certainly has made it to our sidewalks and our fields! Once you start looking, purslane is everywhere! It has the highest omega 3 content out of any green leafy vegetable, higher than many fish oils! 100 grams of purslane will also provide you with %25 of your daily intake of iron, %35 of vitamin C, %44 vitamin A and %17 magnesium! Plus, it’s loaded with cancer fighting antioxidants! So how do you find this succulent lemony superfood? Well it thrives in sunny positions with full sun, in cracks in pavements and depleted areas the whole plant will be much smaller, with leaves smaller than your pinky fingernail, but in garden beds and nutrient rich areas such as the SAGE gardens in Moruya the leaves grow huge, plump and fleshy. It is a trailing plant, never growing higher than 15cm and it has red stems. The stems are NOT hairy.
Purslane needs to be cooked as it has a high oxalic acid content. It has a flavour reminiscent of lemon and pepper and you can add it to anything, stirfry, stews, and as a side to meat dishes. It’s mucilaginous quality makes it a particularly good thickener in soups so if that’s your style, here is our Purslane, potato and leek soup recipe:
Ingredients
- Large bunch of purslane, chopped
- 3 potatoes, cubed
- 2 leeks, diced
- 1 zucchini (optional) diced
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- oil
- salt to taste
- A few tablespoons of flour to thicken
Method
- Heat oil in a pot, add cinnamon, leeks and potatoes and sauté until leeks are soft.
- Add zucchini, salt, and enough water to cover with about an inch extra above the veg. Bring to the boil and lower to a simmer for about 20 min until zucchini is super soft
- Add purslane and flour and cook until purslane is wilted and Soup is desired thickness.
- Serve with Sourdough and olive oil.
Food Oasis 