Pak Tamlueng | ผักตำลึง | Coccinia grandis
Family: Cucurbitaceae - Genus: Coccinia
Ivy Gourd can be found in the wild in the area of Eco-Logic Thailand's restaurant and on the premises.
Ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd, tindora and kowai fruit is a tropical, dioecious, perennial, herbaceous vine that can grow between 9 and 28 meter long.
Ivy gourd is a member of the cucumber family, and this fruit slightly relates cucumber in flavor. The size of the fruits is two inches high.
The young leaves of the ivy gourd are safe to eat and are regarded as an excellent substitute for spinach in Thailand.
The alternate, simple leaves have a broadly ovate, 5-lobed, 5-9 by 4-9 centimeter. The flowers are white, star-shaped with 5 petals.
The fruit is a smooth, bright red, ovoid to ellipsoid berry, 5-7.1 cm long.
In Southeast Asia, it is grown for its edible young shoots and edible fruits. Ivy gourd can be cooked as a vegetable.
The fruits of the ivy gourd plant usually harvest during they are young, while the fruits are crisp, firm and two inches in size at the beginning of the rainy season.
THE PLANT
Ivy gourd is a tropical, dioecious, perennial, herbaceous vine that can grow between 9 and 28 meter long. It has glabrous stems, an extensive tuberous root system and axillary tendrils.
THE LEAVES
The alternate, simple leaves of the ivy gourd have a broadly ovate, 5-lobed, 5-9 by 4-9 centimeter.
THE FLOWERS
The flower is large and white about 4 cm in diameter and contains five long tubular petals.
THE FRUIT
Ivy gourd fruits are small in size, averaging 6-9 centimeters in length, and are ovoid to ellipsoid in shape, connected to slender climbing vines and broad, wide, five-lobed leaves. The skin is smooth with variegations and light striping of pale green, dark green, and white hues. Underneath the surface, the translucent white flesh is aqueous and crisp, encasing many seeds in a slippery, pale red coating. Tindora fruits are juicy and crunchy when young with a mild, slightly bitter aftertaste. As the fruit matures, it develops a soft and a sweeter quality, and depending on variety, the skin can also change to bright red.
CULINARY USES
The immature fruit can be eaten raw, preserving its crisp texture, or made into a pickle.
The fruit and leaves are edible. In Thai cuisine, it is one of the ingredients of the very popular clear soup dish kaeng jued tum lueng and some curries.
Green fruit is used in soups and curries; ripe fruit used raw or stewed with other vegetables; tender leaves/shoots are eaten blanched, boiled or stir-fried, or in soups.
NUTRITION
Beta-carotene: high in shoots, low in green fruit, medium in mature fruit; vitamin E: medium in shoots; riboflavin: high in shoots, low in fruit; folic acid: high in shoots; ascorbic acid: extremely high in shoots, low in fruit; calcium: low in shoots and fruit; iron: medium in shoots and ripe fruit, low in green fruit; protein: 3.5-4.0% in shoots, 4.9% in fruit. Leaves contain ingredients that act like insulin.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE OF NEEDLE FLOWER
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
Some countries in Asia, such as Thailand, prepare traditional tonic-like drinks for medicinal purposes.
In traditional medicine, fruits have been used to treat leprosy, fever, asthma, bronchitis, and jaundice. The fruit possesses mast cell-stabilizing, antianaphylactic, and antihistaminic potential. In Bangladesh, the roots are used to treat osteoarthritis and joint pain. A paste made of leaves is applied to the skin to treat scabies.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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