Stir Fried “Pui” with Poppy Seeds
Pui/Poi/Pohi/Valchi or the Ceylon Spinach/Malabar Spinach are all but different names for this leafy Spinach like Green “fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 m in length. Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture.” (Wiki). The Scientific name for the Pui is Basella alba. You can read more about it in the Herb Society of America.
I had been having a steady supply of the mentioned greens all of last year from a dear friend of ours, who happens to grow almost everything in his back yard. What I did was take some of the unused stiff stalks & planted them in a pot indoors (This year they have been planted outside). They have been growing wild creeping & crawling into nook & corners & looking pretty too! The leaves, stalks & the seeds can all be cooked. Tear off the leaves, break the pliable stalks. The seeds are soft but slightly crunchy – slightly nutty while they are green & pink, however they turn really hard when they are ripe & purple. Discard these or sow them in the veggie patch. The greens can be washed chopped & frozen for later use.
In the Eastern regions (Bengal & Assam) of India, Pui Saag (saag=any edible leafy greens) are cooked with a lot of other vegetables in to a dish called “chorchori” (dry fry where the vegetables remain distinct) or “Ghonto” (almost same as the chorchori but this one is stirred a lot while cooking) , or they are blended into a very unique combination of the greens, variety of vegetables & shrimp, called Pui Chingri (chingri = shrimp).
What I have done is a very simple recipe that my mom & my grandmom would make. It is a stir fry with a lot of flavor of garlic, almost caramelized onions and a sprinkle of poppy seeds.
Ingredients:
- 4.5 Cups Lightly packed Pui Greens, chopped into thin ribbons
- 3 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
- 1 Medium sized Onion, sliced
- 2 Hot Green Chilli Peppers
- 2 Tablespoons White Poppy Seeds/Khus Khus (this one adds a slight crunch)
- 3 Tablespoons oil
Preparation:Add Oil in a flat pan/skillet. Add the chopped garlic & heat the oil. Allow the garlic to heat with the oil, this allows the flavor of the garlic to be infused in the oil.
When the oil heats up, you will see the garlic sizzle. Do not let them turn brown. Add the Onions & the Green Hot Pepper. When the Onions are soft & translucent & start to caramelize & turn brown, add the Pui Greens.
The greens will release a lot of water. Cook till the water evaporates & the color changes from the bright green to dark green.
When most of the water evaporates, increase the heat & Stir Fry till all the water dries off, & you hear the sizzle.
Sprinkle the poppy seeds on the top & toss to combine.
Serve warm.
Home grown & cooked, this goes to the HOTM hosted by Michelle of the Accidental Scientist. The theme this time is The Locavore.
Related Posts:
Bitter Melon & Potato Stir Fry with Poppy Seeds
Simply Seasoned Red Lentils – A Taste of Home
Dum Aloo: Potatoes Simmered in Spices & Coconut Milk
Tags: assam, authentic bengali cuisine, Basella alba, bengali, bengali pui shaak, Bengali Recipe, Ceylon spinach, chorchori, Eastern India, edible leafy green, eggless recipe, ghoto, how to cook pui, information about pui, khus khus, malabar spinach, pohi, poppy seeds, pui, pui shaak, pui shak, pui shak bhaja, saag, side dish recipe, stir fried green, stir fried side, stir fry with garlic, valchi, vegan recipe
May 16th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
The dish looks delicious soma…never tried pui before…do we really require 3 tbsp of oil?
May 16th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I had them growing in the garden last year. Like you said the flowers are really pretty. I bet down there in Texas they stay alive most of the year? Don’t they?
This stir fry looks delicious. I make this all the time but never added poppy seeds, coconut yes.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
That looks very, very good, especially with the carmelised onions! You always manage to hit the spot for me with your recipes
May 16th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
oh this is a beautiful way to eat thjose greens !
Even though poppy seeds are not allowed in Singapore, will be trying this next time i get pui saag
May 16th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Oh those cute lil flowers look so beautiful,Nice cruchy twist by adding poppy seeds
May 16th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
How do you come up with these things? And I haven’t even heard of this. Please move to Atlanta, Soma. No bunnies here, I promise. If you miss them, A and I could be bunnies
I can drive your kids
and also – babysit them. Free dessert for DH 
These are recipes from back home. Your deal sounds irresistible, Really!! I would not mind. I could experiment all day without having to think of running around & have shares of those awesome desserts & your “Daring” stuffs. Start looking for a job:-D
May 16th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
lovely recipe… it feels good when one cooks from home-grown stuff, doesn’t it?
May 17th, 2009 at 12:54 am
nice recipe. we call this as teega bacchali in Telugu and your recipe is very mew to me.
May 17th, 2009 at 8:37 am
This is a new dish for me, looks really healthy and yummy too.
May 17th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I love any kind of green, and it always makes me hungry to see it… Looks so tasty!
May 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I have never heard of these greens and they sound wonderful
May 17th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
After looking at the picture of Malbar Spinach I think I remember that I have tasted it. My mom used to grow it in our house. But strangely enough i have never seen it here in the US. Loved the simple recipe with the greens.
May 17th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I know this green, good for mouth ulcer and even stomach. I only had in India, may be i should bring some seeds next time. Ur curry is different and tasty!
May 17th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I don’t think I have ever had anything made with these greens but they sound delightful and the curry looks really delicious !
May 17th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
This grows abundantly in these parts as well. In Guyana the call it poi which is variation of pui I am sure. It is also called thick-leaf callaloo
WOW!! It’s called Poi there too! .. Is the Caribbean dish Callaloo made with these leaves?
May 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Oh… this with hot steamed rice, Nan- Oh goodness you have me salivating.
May 17th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Hi Soma,
wow! you’ve grown some lovely greens!My Amma also grows the greens the same way as u do 
our Konkani version of stir fry is very simple with mustard,dals and red chilli tempering,salt and sugar to taste and garnishing with grated coconut….this one with posto is absolutely new to me. Shall try this sometime. Today I’ll be preparing potol posto 
….thanks for another posto recipe 
We call pui ‘vali’ in konkani
TC
May 17th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
I have never heard this before,sure looks pretty with poppy seeds! Should taste great !!
May 17th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
I have never had these greens, why are they called Malabar greens? These grow in Kerala? Never seen this variety there, but it looks pretty and the dish looks delicious!
May 18th, 2009 at 6:54 am
I always learn something new when I visit here
Thanks!
May 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Soma, how big is the pot in which you planted and is it always indoors? I convinced D that we could grow pui from stalks, hope to get some and plant this weekend
May 18th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Hi Soma…Pls do check my blog..something special for you
May 18th, 2009 at 9:05 am
I’ve never tried this before but it sounds really delicious!
May 18th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Maybe I should try planting them too … it is so difficult … almost impossible to get them here. Seeing your dish … am getting J big time.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
For a second I thought this was the Hawaiian specialty. I’ll keep an eye out for this at the local Indian grocers. Is this a seasonal thing?
What is the Hawaiian specialty? I have seen these available in the Indian Grocers during Spring & Summer, but i think they would grow all year round given some warm weather. I have mine in a pot indoors ( not enough to be cooked all year round) .. but they have survived. Now with the weather warming up, i have planted them outside.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Soma, same recipe ami kari spinach diye..I have to try with pui, too
May 20th, 2009 at 11:12 am
AH HA RE !!!! jodi eta aaj lucj a petam re didi !!!
July 14th, 2009 at 4:49 am
Awesome, authentic & mmm mouthwatering
August 13th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Hi Soma,
I just loved this preparation for pui. I was writing one post on this herb, and thought of putting this link of yours as a further reading. I hope you don’t mind. Will let you know when I post the recipe (probably today or tomorrow.)
October 23rd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Lovely pictures!