This isn’t your usual spinach. Malabar spinach is thick, cooling, and quietly powerful. Here’s why Ayurveda calls it food and medicine in one.
Walk through a local market in monsoon and you’ll spot a bundle of heart-shaped leaves, thick and shiny, sold alongside Amaranth and Methi. That’s Malabar spinach, less famous than palak. But equally loved in regional kitchens from Bengal to Karnataka. This glossy, heart-shaped creeper, known as Poi saag in Bengal, Bachhali kura in Andhra, Valchi bhaji in Goa, and Basale soppu in Karnataka, doesn’t get half the attention.
It isn’t technically spinach at all. It belongs to its own family (Basella alba), and unlike delicate palak, it thrives in sultry, coastal heat.
In Indian kitchens, Malabar spinach shows up in dals, coconut-based curries, pakoras, and even in cooling buttermilk stews. Ayurveda, as always, has something more to say. It treats this humble green as a cooling, gut-friendly medicine hiding in plain sight.
Malabar Spinach Curry Recipe
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
▪️2 cups Malabar spinach leaves, washed and chopped
▪️½ Cup Toor Dal
▪️4 tbsp grated coconut
▪️2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
▪️1 tsp coriander seeds
▪️6 dried red chili
▪️½ tsp turmeric powder
▪️1 medium onion, chopped
▪️Salt to taste
▪️Water
Method (Step by Step with Images)
▪️Step 1:
Chop the leaves and stalks. The stalks are highly nutritious and add drumstick-like texture.
▪️Step 2:
Add spinach and chopped stalks to the washed toor dal. Pressure cook until the dal turns soft.
▪️Step 3:
In a pan, dry-roast red chilies, garlic cloves and coriander seeds until aromatic. Let cool.
▪️Step 4:
Grind the roasted spices with coconut and turmeric into a smooth, thick paste.
▪️Step 5:
Add this paste to the cooked dal-spinach mixture. Bring to a gentle boil.
▪️Step 6:
Massage salt into the chopped onion with your hands. Add it to the curry as it simmers.
▪️Step 7:
Let the curry simmer for a few minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Benefits according to Ayurveda
▪️Rasa (Taste): Kashaya (astringent), Madhura (sweet)
▪️Guna (Qualities): Snigdha (unctuous), Guru (slightly heavy)
▪️Virya (Potency): Sheeta (cooling)
▪️Vipaka (Post-digestive effect): Madhura (sweet)
Dosha impact
▪️Pacifies Pitta (cools excess heat)
▪️Balances Vata (when cooked with spices)
▪️Can increase Kapha if eaten in excess
The Many Benefits of Malabar Spinach
🌿 Gut support – Its natural mucilage coats and soothes the stomach, easing acidity and indigestion.
🌿 Boosts blood & skin health – Its cooling potency purifies Rakta dhatu, calming acne, rashes, and excess heat.
🌿 Strengthens immunity – Rich in antioxidants, vitamin A & C, and iron.
🌿 Bone nourishment – High calcium content supports bone strength and women’s health.
🌿 Hydration & cooling – Perfect during summer and monsoon to balance body heat.
🌿 Weight-friendly – Low in calories, high in fiber, keeps you full without heaviness.
