Purslane has become a popular herb since the start of summer. It is a great substitute for spinach. We use spinach in several ways in winter and when its season is over, purslane replaces it. We are so lucky that seasons of these two herbs are different. To be honest, I love sourish flavor of purslane more, so I gladly use it in the place of spinach. I’ve heard that people in some places throw this herb away as they think it’s a kind of weed harmful to their yard. It is absolutely not a weed. On the contrary, it has several benefits to our body. For one thing, it is a fiber rich herb, so it helps digestive system. Second, as it has very low calories, it is one of the best foods that diabetic people and people who are on diet can eat. It helps diabetics ease their thirst and helps people lose weight. It is also advisable to cardiac patients as it contains omega 3 oils, which is quite necessary to body.
We try to take the highest advantage of purslane by eating it in several ways. We make borek filling from purslane, purslane salad, mezze (purslane with yogurt) or a hot dish like this one. If you can find purslane in the place where you live, please try one of these. I’m sure you will love it.
Semizotu Yemeği
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of purslane
- 1 small potato, chopped in small cubes
- 1 carrot, chopped in small cubes
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp rice
- 1 ½ cup hot water
- ½ tbsp pepper paste
- Salt
- Black pepper to taste
Clean and wash purslane. It’s better to wait it in water with vinegar drops so that you can clean it up from bacteria. I do the same for all herbs. Chop them randomly. Do not chop them thin. You can even do this with your hands without using a knife. And do not throw their stalk unless they are too thick.
Heat olive oil in a pot. Saute onion. Add pepper paste and tomatoes, stir. Toss potatoes and carrots into the pot. Stir. Cover the pot and cook it a few minutes. Then add water and rice. Cook until potatoes and carrots almost tender. Add more water if necessary. Finally add purslane and cook until everything is tender. Do not overcook purslane as they are already so fragile and cook easily. Add salt and black pepper in the end.
Serve it warm with yogurt topping.
22 Comments on "Purslane Dish"
Purslane is delicious! I’ve tried growing it in my garden, but I think it wasn’t getting enough sun. I’d love to be able to cut it right outside.
This looks great. Thank you for the post. I would love to try eating some purslane.
I have never even heard of this! What a shame. I am going to try and track some of this down at the next farmer’s market I visit. Thanks for sharing this with me!
Lovely post. I want to try this too!
Zerrin süper olmuş bu yemek. Semizotunu çok severim, havuç eklerim ama patates eklemezdim… Bir de öyle deneyeyim. Hele bir de yabani semizotu bulup yapılırsa yazdığın gibi bol ekşi ekşi. Ellerine sağlık arkadaşım…
Sevgiler.
This dish looks really good and healthy!!
Purslane? What is that? Need to google and see if I can find it here.
I bet this is wonderful, looks very good:)
Beautiful dish
This dish just sounds delicious. It almost looks like a soup. I have not seen purslane in a while but I must find some to try this recipe.
This herb is new to me but the dish sure looks tasty!
i’ve never had purslane before! this sounds delicious though.
Great recipe! We will have to try it!
Sounds and looks wonderful. Thanks so much for the educational post.
Wow, I would have never thought to cook purslane. I love it so much I gobble it up whenever I find it growing out in the field. It’s so delicious and naturally flavored in its pure form. I’m really curious how this tastes! Even my picky 8 year old loves the stuff.
This looks so healthy and delicious! I love purslane but it can sometimes be hard to find…I’ll definitely look for it so I can enjoy this!
Up until yesterday, I had never heard of this herb. I look forward to trying it…I need to find it in the mkts. You’ve given me another recipe to try using this herb.
I don’t have purslane here, if it’s a substitute for spinach must taste very good this recipe
Cheers,
Gera
I’ve tried to keep an eye out for the produce that you’ve featured such as nettles and purslane but they don’t seem quite as popular here as they are in your home! Still, I will keep trying – I want to taste this wonderful-looking dish!
I have purslane in my garden. It sows easily if you let it flower but it does die off during winter. Keep it moist and it will survie the hottest summer.
We love to eat it as salad or even fried with eggs.
Thanks for another way to use ths great herb
Purslane is a wonderful herb; I have always used it fresh in Lebanese cuisine it is used in salads and sometimes baked in lieu of spinach; this is a wonderful alternative and I will try it some day.
Ellerinize saglik, semizotunu cok severim ama bu sekilde hic yapmamistim, aksama tarifinizi deneyecegim. Asli (dokuzuncubulut) bahsetti sitenizden, foodbuzz’dan takip ediyordum ama artik duzenli buradan takip ederim. Tesekkur ederim.