Monday, April 16, 2012

Water spinach: Weed or soul food?


Photo courtesy WhatamIeating.com

This weekend my wife cooked water spinach, a leafy vegetable eaten in Bengal, India, and South-East Asia. The leaves are also called Chinese water spinach or water ipomea; its botanical name is Ipomoea aquatica. My family loves the vegetable as a side dish, but I discovered during my research on the vegetable that it's considered a weed in the United States!

Sure, it is cheap, but I reject the classification. I love it stir-fried with garlic. I would say it is a soul food for Bengalis, who call it "kalmi saag" -- "saag" meaning a leafy vegetable, like collard greens.

Have you eaten water spinach? If yes, do you like it?

3 comments:

Santanu said...

Nice info.

Thanks
Santanu & Manidipa
http://manidipa-kitchen.blogspot.in

Gary said...

Nice post which a leafy vegetable eaten in Bengal, India, and South-East Asia. The leaves are also called Chinese water spinach or water ipomea; its botanical name is Ipomoea aquatica. Thanks a lot for posting this article.

md k ahmed said...

mouth watering recipe. thanks continue