Brazilian spinach (Alternanthera Sissoo)
I’ve just had an enquiry from Meg in Babinda about where to get Brazilian spinach. This is one green I included in tropical cuisine: cooking in clare’s kitchen knowing that it is not easy to source commercially. I decided to include it though as it is SO easy to grow at home in the tropics and suvives both dry spells and heavy rain. Furthermore it is probably the best ‘spinach’ style green in my book for flavour and texture.
At www.herbs-to-use.com they stock seed of Brazilian spinach which they call by another of its names, Sissoo lettuce, so you can source it there. It is also listed on the stock list for Northey Street City Farm, so Brisbane residents should also be able to source it at Northey Street.
What I will do for locals is pass some branches on to members of Permaculture Cairns and the Cairns Gardening Club to grow and pass on to others. I am also taking some to one of the growers and stallholders at Rusty’s Markets, Rick who is happy to trial growing them and selling them if they take off (which they will, they are so easy).
If there are other gardening and permaculture groups in the region who would like some branches to get local stock going to share around, email me at info@tropicalcuisine.com and we’ll see what we can organise.
Hope that helps!
Posts, Produce
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Alternanthera sissoo, Brazilian spinach, Cairns, cookbook, Sissoo lettuce, tropical Australia, tropical cooking, tropical cuisine cooking in clare’s kitchen, tropical food, tropical produce, tropical Queensland, tropical recipes
I thought it might be of interest to some readers to see the main items that will be covered in the Produce Glossary of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen. As you may already know this cookbook is the first of what will be several volumes, and in each one a new set of produce will be featured. You may also know that in the produce glossary I am focusing on featuring produce which is available in markets and quality retailers, and/or grows easily at home, but with which many people are not so familiar. One aim of Tropical Cuisine: Cooking in Clare’s Kitchen is to provide information that assists people to experiment or make greater use of the fantastic array of produce we have available in tropical Australia. Continue reading 'Produce glossary'»
Posts, Produce
| Abiu, Acacia spp., Aibika or New Guinea Spinach, Allspice, Alpinia galanga, Alternanthera sissoo, Amaranth, Amaranthus spp., Annatto, Annona atemoya, Annona muricata, Artocarpus altilis, Artocarpus heterophyllus, Averrhoa carambola, Backhousia citriodora, Bamboo shoots, Bambusa spp., Basella alba, Bitter melon, Bixa orellana, black sapote, Boesenbergia rotunda, Brazilian Spinach or Sambu Lettuce, breadfruit, C. terminalis, Canistel, Carambola, Cardamom, Carica papaya, Cassava, Ceylon spinach, Chinese Keys, Choko, Chrysophyllum caimito, Cinnamomum zeylandicum, Cinnamon, Citrus Aurantifolia, Citrus grandis, Citrus hystrix, Citrus Latifolia, Cocoa, Coconut, Cocos nucifera, Coffea Arabica, Coffee, Colocasia esculenta, Cordyline fruticosa, Cordyline or Ti leaves, Coriander, cuban, Curcuma longa, Curry leaf, Custard Apple, Daikon, Davidson plum, Davidsonia pruriens, Dendrocalamus spp., Dimocarpus longan, Diospyros digyna, Drumstick tree, durian, Durio zibethinus, Elettaria cardamomum, Eryngium foetidum, galangal, Garcinia mangostana, Ginger, Granadilla, Guanabana, Hibiscus manihot, Hylocereus spp., Illicium verum, Ipomoea aquatica, Ipomoea batatas, Jaboticaba, Jackfruit, Jicama, Kaffir, Kankong or Water Spinach, Lemon Myrtle, lime, Litchi chinensis, long leaf, Longan, lychee, Macadamia, Macadamia integrifolia, Mamey sapote, Mangifera indica, mango, Mangosteen, Manihot esculenta, Manilkara zapota, Mint, Momordica charantia, Moringa oleifera, Murraya koenigii, Musa spp., Mushroom plant, Myrciaria cauliflora, Myristica fragrans, Nephelium lappaceum, Nutmeg, Oregano, Pachyrhizus erosus, Pandan, Pandanus amaryllifolius, papaya, Passiflora quadrangularis, Pepper, Persicaria odorata, Pimenta dioica, Piper nigrum, Piper sarmentosum, Pitaya, Plantain, Plectranthus amboinicus, Pouteria caimito, Pouteria campechiana, Pouteria sapota, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, Pummelo, Radish, Rambutan, Raphanus sativus, Rollinia, Rollinia deliciosa, Rungia klossii, Sapodilla, Sauropus androgynus, Sechium edule, Snake Beans, Star Anise, Star Apple, Sweet leaf, Sweet potatoes, Tahitian, tamarind, Tamarindus indica, Taro root & leaves, Theobroma cacao, Turmeric, Vanilla, Vanilla planifolia, vietnamese, Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis, Wattle seed, West Indian, Wild Pepper leaves, Wing bean, Zingiber officinale, Zingiberaceae
- Having moved house not so long ago, my herb and veggie garden (all in foam boxes at this stage) is in need of some regeneration. One of my favourite greens that keeps going all year is Brazilian spinach (Alternanthera sissoo), also called Sambu lettuce. It can be added fresh to salads, and is a brilliant green to cook, in the same manner you would English spinach.
- © Clare Richards 2009 Brazilian spinach from above
If you live in the tropics or sub-tropics, plant it now and it will provide during the build up and wet seasons when more temperate greens are cringing and dying off from the heat and humidity. It grows as a small bushy plant and so is great to use as a garden border. If you can do mass plantings such as borders or big beds of it, it will provide abundant greens.
Here in Cairns Brazilian spinach grows from stem cuttings, so each time I harvest branches of the leaves for cooking, I strip off the leaves and then just stick the bare stem back in the ground, and a new plant grows.
To buy the plant or seed in Australia, check out this site:
and check at your local independent nursery, and at weekend plant markets (which is where I bought my original plant).
Ways to use Brazilian spinach
I love a pile of Brazilian spinach with eggs (any way) for a big breakfast. Simply break the leaves from the stems, rinse well, then throw into the frypan as soon as the eggs are done and plated, have the heat on high, and immediately put a lid over the pan. They will only need 30 seconds to 1 minute and will be wilted and ready to eat. Another option is to cook these greens before the eggs with a mixture of roughly chopped tomato and fresh herbs. Have the pan on a med-high heat, add some olive oil, then put in the tomatoes and lid the pan while it sizzles away. After about a minute the tomatoes will be softening, so add the herbs and Brazilian spinach then, and put the lid back on to steam the mix. Once the greens are wilted, transfer out of pan and start cooking your eggs.  Once eggs are cooked you can put the mix back into the pan while plating your eggs and setting the table etc., just a few seconds during this time will be enough to add back some warmth, and then serve.
As mentioned, these greens can also be added to salads, and into all other dishes where you would use spinach such as; quiches; curries; dals; pasta sauces; lasagna; the list can be as long as your imagination and cookbook collection!
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