We made a long overdue trip to the farmers' market last weekend. My favorite stall is the one run by a young couple for the past two years. Their newborn daughter is now a toddler, growing up in the farmers' market, happy as can be within the bustle of the place. I'm more than a little jealous of her.
Besides their daughter, the other reason I like this stall is that they always have something I haven't tried before. This time, it was purslane. A common weed, purslane is making a comeback due to its fresh, lemony flavor and impressive nutritional profile. Apparently, it is a common culinary ingredient in parts of India, but I don't remember eating it back home.
Purslane has a slightly mucilaginous texture, and I wasn't impressed with the salad we first made. Add it to fresh heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers, though, and it makes a rock star gazpacho.
1/2 a bunch (about 2 cups packed) purslane leaves and tender stems
1 large or two medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 hot green chili pepper
2 scallions
2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1 clove raw garlic if you like the flavor)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
A handful of basil leaves, and a sprig of fresh oregano (or other fresh herbs- parsley and cilantro would be good)
Puree all the ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper and add more lime juice if needed. Chill for at least two hours before serving. If using raw garlic, remember that the flavor will get stronger with time.
The gazpacho was delicious, cool and easy to make. In short, perfect for a busy weekday evening.
Sumpsimus 
I think I get it– gazpacho with purslane instead of cilantro.1 hot green chili pepperI'm assuming that would be jalapeño? I would suggest that something particular be specified, because there's so many chiles (at least what I can find in my area) that can be picked on the greener side, but they all have varying amounts of heat and are different sizes.I was also wondering why there's no oil in the recipe. Most gazpacho recipes I learned included olive oil; which seems to be important for its Spanish origins.
Thanks, Jak! I left it at '1 hot green chilli pepper' because I thought people could use whatever heat level they prefer- I used part of a large hot banana pepper, actually.You're right, there is usually olive oil in the gazpacho recipes. I skipped it because I'm not a big fan of consuming raw oil, unless its absolutely essential. Didn't do a comparison with gazpacho-with-oil, but it didn't seem to miss anything.
Thanks, Jak! I left it at '1 hot green chilli pepper' because I thought
people could use whatever heat level they prefer- I used part of a
large hot banana pepper, actually.I thought it might be something like that. I think most of the time, green chiles are used mostly for color contrast. Lately, I've been using bell peppers more often (unseeded) because Cimmy doesn't have the taste for stronger.You're right, there is usually olive oil in the gazpacho recipes. I
skipped it because I'm not a big fan of consuming raw oil, unless its
absolutely essential. Didn't do a comparison with gazpacho-with-oil,
but it didn't seem to miss anything.Yeah, I'm sure it doesn't matter unless you want to be more authentically Iberian/Mediterranean. Olive oil is used pretty liberally from the recipes I've seen. For something prepared cold, I've been given to understand that the quality of the oil REALLY matters– something cold pressed, and it supposedly has a huge difference in flavor. But for most of us, finding something that good is pretty hard. Most of the stuff at the supermarket doesn't measure up. (In other words, most store-bought oil wouldn't taste good enough to make a discernible difference, or so it would seem.)
Any idea what purslane is called in Hindi?
Su, the names I found on Google were Lunia, Sanhti, Punarva, or Kulfa.
Interesting. I came across a number of medieval English recipes with purslane, but had no idea what it was other than something green, leafy, and tart.
🙂 You pretty much hit it on the head. I always thought it was some kind of herbal tea, but apparently not.
looks good. i'll try it when i get back to a place where purslane (and everything else is avaiable. am in Belize now and it's a culinary nightmare.
Nice. I hear that some hot-shot celebrity chefs are using foraging as the next greatest thing. One step up from Locavore, I assume. I've always liked native greens – creating a salad from them without the bitterness is the trick. My friend Christy was a genius at it.
do you know that you're on the main Explore [Culture is Good] page?!?
Belize! I'm jealous..and a little surprised. I imagined that it would be a culinary richland..
Yes! I read an article on foraging recently..hyped, but surely its a good thing if you eat something that would normally go to waste. I've always wanted to pick mushrooms in the woods, stopped only by the fact that I have Zero knowledge of poisonous shrooms.
I didn't! Thanks, Leenda. That would explain the new visitors.
The best tomatoes are from my father's garden – wish I could send some to you! They're all ripening at the same time – I hate 'em, and there's just so much that everyone else in the neighborhood can eat!By the way, those blackberries look spectacular.
Oh, goodness, what I'd give for those tomatoes! We have some this year..they're tiny and I only get a handful at a time, but incredibly sweet. There's an elderly gentleman down the road who seems to have the most bountiful garden ever- tomatoes, squash, apples and peaches and pears and figs. I simply have to stop and stare. 🙂
Someone knows the Nepali word for purslane?
I wish I knew, Rajesh!