We have had a number of questions about the soft and silky, fleshy plant that threatened to take over large sections of the community garden at the back of the property. It is Basella Alba, Indian spinach, Ceylon Spinach, or Malabar Spinach. A subtropical plant, that grows very well in Brisbane – as you can see from the photographs. It is very high in Vitamins A, B, and C, iron, calcium and fibre and is also renowned as a source of anti-oxidants. It is wonderful to grow in Brisbane because it loves heat and humidity and is quite pest resistant.
Despite its fabulous nutrition profile, it is not popular as an alternative for spinach as a side dish because it is sticky, gooey or mucilaginous. Where it really comes into its own is in Asian cooking, as an ingredient in spinach pancakes, daal, or spinach dishes like palak paneer. Read Making the most of Malabar spinach for the full details of preparing the plant to produce the fabulous spinach dish, Palak Paneer.
Since the plant grows so vigorously, the easiest way to collect the leaves is to simply prune the vine back from the areas of the garden where it is taking over. This way you end up with a huge pile of plant material that you can then separate by pulling off the individual leaves as shown here. (I also grow it in pots in my courtyard, where it is less likely to take over).
To find out about other sub-tropical spinach, read Spinach galore
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