As mentioned earlier, Malabar spinach is not true spinach. Its leaves resemble spinach leaves and edible properties are almost similar to true spinach and hence the name ‘Malabar spinach’. There are green-stemmed (Green Malabar) and red-stemmed (Red Malabar) varieties of Malabar spinach. Botanical name of green Malabar spinach is Basella alba and Synonym is Basella cordifolia. Botanical name of red Malabar spinach is Basella rubra. Malabar spinach belongs to family Basellaceae. It is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial plant and is edible. The leaves and tender shoots of the plant are used as a leafy vegetable just like spinach. Even though it is a perennial plant, it is grown as an annual crop for food purposes.
Common Names: Malabar spinach is known by a wide variety of names. Some common names of Malabar spinach are Basella, Cambian spinach, Indian spinach, vine spinach, Malabar nightshade, country spinach, climbing spinach, creeping spinach, buffalo spinach, Surinam spinach, Chinese spinach, Vietnamese spinach and broad bologi. Red-stemmed variety of Malabar spinach is also known as red stem Malabar spinach, and red vine spinach. Similarly, green-stemmed variety is known as white stem Malabar spinach, and white vine spinach.
Origin: Malabar spinach is found growing abundantly in tropical continents such as Asia and Africa. It is believed to be originated in the tropical regions of Malabar Coast of India and Sri Lanka.
Botanical Description: The plant has vining/climbing growth habit, loves warm-season, fast-growing, and soft-stemmed. Vines reach up to 10 meters in length upon full growth. Stems are trailing vines with short-petioled leaves and small, black fruits. Stems are green-coloured in alba variety and red-coloured in rubra variety. Leaves are glossy, dark green, thick, succulent, savoyed and heart-shaped with a flavour. Fruit is a black-coloured berry which may be ground and used as a food coloring agent. Malabar spinach does not flower in day lengths longer than 13 hours. In other words, flowering is induced in short-day months (Nov-Feb) in tropics.
Growth Habit: Malabar spinach may be trained on trellises as a spreading vine crop or trained into a bush with proper care and maintenance.
Food Uses: Malabar spinach is cooked like spinach and other leafy greens. It may be used in salads and stews. Leaves are dark green and thick with a mucilaginous texture which is rich in dietary fiber. Hence leaves may be boiled to thicken the consistency of soups. Malabar spinach may be cooked as stir-fries or as a main vegetable dish or as an additional ingredient in other vegetable preparations or as an ingredient in meat and fish preparations.
A list of some popular Indian vegetable preparations made from Malabar spinach is given below:
Food Preparation 1: Stir-Fried Malabar Spinach with Grated Coconut and Chopped Onions and Green Chillies
What you need to make a stir-fried vegetable dish with Malabar spinach is one medium cup of clean and chopped leaves, one big onion chopped, and three long green chillies split into halves, 1/4th cup of grated coconut, one pinch of turmeric powder, one pinch of black pepper powder, one of salt to taste and cooking oil. Now, take a frying pan and add a spoonful of cooking oil. Add chopped onions and chillies into the hot oil and fry until onions turn golden brown. Now add the chopped leaves and grated coconut along with turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt. Mix the contents well. Fry the vegetables by continuous stirring under low flame until it is thoroughly cooked and becomes dry in appearance. This is a nutritious vegetable dish that can be eaten with rice and wheat breads.
Main ingredients that you require to make Malabar spinach soup is, minced meat (this will be the base of the soup); clean, chopped leaves of Malabar spinach; one egg; chopped onions, green chillies, garlic and ginger; one pinch of turmeric powder, one pinch of black pepper powder, salt to taste and cooking oil. Now take a pan and pour cooking oil. Add chopped onions, chillies, garlic and ginger into the hot oil and fry it until a golden brown colour is developed. Then add minced meat along with turmeric powder, pepper powder and salt, and mix the contents well. Add sufficient water into the pan and then cover it until meat is cooked properly. Check water quantity is sufficient to make a good soup of correct consistency. When meat is cooked well, add one full egg white into it and when egg is done, chopped leaves are added. Malabar spinach leaves are cooked within no time and the mucilaginous texture of leaves gives a thick consistency to the soup. Delicious, nutritious, Malabar spinach soup is now ready to serve.
Nutrition in Malabar Spinach: Like other leafy greens, Malabar spinach is also a powerhouse of nutrients. According to USDA, 100 grams of edible portion of raw, Malabar spinach provides about 19 kilo calories of energy and contains 93.1g water, 1.8g protein, 0.3g fat, and 3.4g carbohydrates.
Nutrition in Cooked Malabar Spinach
According to USDA, 100 grams of edible portion of COOKED, Malabar spinach provides about 23 kilo calories of energy and contains 92.5g water, 2.98g protein, 0.78g fat, 2.71g carbohydrates and 2.1g dietary fiber. Cooked Malabar spinach is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals such as potassium and zinc, and vitamins like vitamin C and folate.
Growing Practices for Malabar Spinach: It is very easy to grow Malabar spinach plants. They are very hardy plants. Regarding climate, Malabar spinach is a warm season crop and grows well in hot, humid climates. Growth of this plant is generally limited at altitudes greater than 500 meters (1,600 ft) above MSL (mean sea level). In other words, the plant grows well at altitudes lower than 500 meters from mean sea level. Full sunlight and hot weather are favored by Malabar spinach plants.
Even though Malabar spinach grows well in a wide range of soils, the most ideal soil is moist, fertile sandy loam soils which are rich in organic matter (humus) with pH ranging from 6.5 to 6.8. Malabar spinach is highly sensitive to frost but tolerates damp wet soils. It is commonly propagated by seeds and stem cuttings. Site of planting/seeding is prepared as in case of spinach cultivation. Direct seeding or broadcasting is done as in case of spinach if seeds are used for propagation. If stem cuttings are used, they are directly planted in the pits prepared at the site. In warmer tropics, sowing or planting is done 2 to 3 weeks after last frost. In colder areas, seedlings are raised indoors and later transplanted in the site 2 to 3 weeks after last frost. It may take 2-3 weeks for the seeds to emerge. Seed scarification is recommended in order to hasten germination process. Seed coats are carefully cut through by using a sharp knife or sandpaper to speed up germination process. Transplants are planted about 30 cm apart within a row.
Malabar spinach is a trailing vine plant and its long trailing vines need to be trained on trellises or other support structures to facilitate harvesting and other cultural practices.
Moist soil is preferred for Malabar spinach growth. On an average, Malabar spinach plants need to be watered at weekly intervals. While watering the plants, make sure that top 15-20 cm of soil is watered properly. After every harvest, watering is recommended to boost leaf production.
Since leaf production has to be promoted, application of liberal doses of nitrogen fertilizers are recommended. Farm yard manure or compost @40-50tons/ha may be incorporated into the top soil at the time of field preparation. After that a top dressing of 20 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare may be given after every harvest. For container growing, foliar application of a liquid nitrogen fertilizer is a good idea after every harvesting of leaves. It may take 2-3 months for a seedling to reach harvest maturity. In case of stem cuttings, harvest maturity is reached within one to two months. Under good cultural management a Malabar spinach crop may yield about 50 tons/ha of land.
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