Recipes for Purslane

[takadi]

You know, that nasty weed that grows everywhere? Well I heard it was edible, so I took a hunk of it and popped it in my mouth and surprise! It was kinda good. Like an arugalish lemony okra.

Upon further research, I also see that it has one of the highest omega 3 fatty acid sources of all plants (some sources say the highest)

So does anybody know what I can make with this? Perhaps replace okra with it? Maybe a light sautee?

[ElBrown]

The Mexican woman that sold me my purslane (verdelago) lightly sautées it with small pieces of beef, hot chili and garlic. So delicious. The beef counteracts the slight okra sliminess you get when you cook purslane.

[BamiaWruz]

It's very common where I come from, now I've got tons of it in my garden.

I remember moving to a new house when I was about 10 and my aunt saw it in the garden and asked us kids to pick some with her, so we did and then she cooked it up.
Recipes I remember her making was frying it up with eggs, and cooking it in tomato sauce (like a stew) eaten with bread or rice or bulgur.

It's good with salad too, and I think they do something with yogurt with it too.
Make sure you wash it well, I noticed little spiders on mine (grows like weeds yes) and also there are other types in the plant nurseries which flower, their leaves are slightly more pointy, I prefer the weed with rounded leaf end.

[takadi]

Which parts of the plant do you guys use? The tips? The leaves? The whole thing?

[decolady]

I use the stems and the leaves.

Besides the suggestions others made, purslane is good to use in soups. Like okra, it will help thicken the soup. My grandmother used to cook it and serve it like any other greens (mustard, turnip, etc.). She also fixed purslane as a baked dish with some bacon and cream. I like to put it in jars of mixed pickles. It can be sautéed along with some spring onions and served as a side dish. Pretty versatile.

[sea97horse]

and it's great added to a summer succotash with fresh corn, limas, etc.

[Old Spice]

That sounds really good. And you got my mind going on other add-ins to succotash. Thanks.

[katecm]

Throw it into a rustic pasta dish, letting it wilt, the way you might with any other green. Just make sure it's a sauce that can stand up to a little bite.

[colfaxBee]

really good in as greek salad: purslane, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, peppers, onion, olives, olive oil, vinegar

[plum]

If you have so much purslane you want to branch out from salads like mbfant's excellent recommendation, saute equal parts chopped purslane and onion before scrambling in some eggs - it's a traditional Mexican dish called huevos con verdolagas. Lovely wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla.

[berbere]

they are great in salads but also great in pickles - i throw them in any type of pickle, also in korean mulkimchi and they are awesome

[mbfant]

Quantities of it appear spontaneously in our planters on our Roman terrace. We make a delicious salad with it -- just the purslane (portulacca), some sliced green or sweet red onion, and salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. We don't usually dress salads with balsamico, but for some reason it appealed more than the usual red wine vinegar with this plant.