Basella alba

Basella alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Basellaceae
Genus:	Basella
Species:	B. alba
Binomial name
	Basella alba; L.
Synonyms
	Basella rubra Roxburgh

Basella alba, or Malabar spinach (also Phooi leaf, Red vine spinach, Creeping spinach, Climbing spinach) is a perennial vine found in the tropics where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable.

Names

English: Malabar-, Malabar climbing-, Ceylon-, Indian-, East-Indian-, Surinam-, Chinese-, Vietnamese- or buffalo spinach (although it is not closely related to spinach), as well as Malabar nightshade or broad bologi.
Bengali: Pui shak
Oriya: Poi saaga
Konkani: Valchi bhaji
Kannada: Basale soppu
Telugu: బచ్చలి (Bachhali)
Tamil: Kodip pasaLi (கொடிப்பசளி)
Tulu: Basale
Marathi: Mayalu (मायाळू)
Portuguese: Bertalha
Filipino: Alugbati
Vietnamese: Mồng tơi
Sinhalese: Vel Niviti (Sudu)
Chinese: 木耳菜、落葵
Other: Poi baagi, calaloo, alugbati

Description

Basella alba is a fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 m in length. Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture. The stem of the cultivar Basella alba 'Rubra' is reddish-purple.

Soil and climate requirements

Basella alba grows well under full sunlight in hot, humid climates and in areas lower than 500 m above sea level. Growth is slow in low temperatures resulting in low yields. Flowering is induced during the short-day months of November to February. It grows best in sandy loam soils rich in organic matter with pH ranging from 5.5 to 8.0.

Food uses

Typical of leaf vegetables, Malabar spinach is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber. Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fries with garlic and chili peppers.

In Bangali cuisine it is widely used to cook with Hilsa fish.

In Andhra Pradesh, a southern state in India, a curry of Basella and Yam is made populary known as Kanda Bachali Koora [Yam and Basella curry].

The vegetable is used in Chinese cuisine. Its many names include flowing water vegetable.

In Vietnam, particularly the north, it is cooked with crab meat, luffa and jute to make soup.

In Orissa, India, it is used to make Curries and Saaga (Any type of dish made from green leafy vegetables is called as Saaga in Orissa). In Maharashtra, India, it is used to make bhaji.

In Africa, the mucilaginous cooked shoots are most commonly used.^[1]

Malabar spinach can be found at many Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean/Indian grocery stores, as well as farmers' markets. It has been shown to contain certain phenolic phytochemicals and that it has antioxidant properties

References

^ Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.

External links

[prota-1] Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.

[1]