Cha Phlu | ชะพลู| Piper sarmentosum
Family: Piperaceae | Genus: Piper
The wild betel leaf grow in the wild near the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant and on other places on the premises of Eco-Logic Thailand
Wild betel leaf is a a perennial herb. The plant is used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves are often confused with betel, but they lack the intense taste of the betel leaves and are significantly smaller.
In Thai cuisine, the leaves are used to wrap miang kham, a traditional snack; they are also one of the ingredients of the Kaeng khae curry of Northern Thailand.
.
The young leaves can be picked whole year long.
THE SHRUB/VINE
The wild betel leaf is a perennial herb with creeping rhizomes, and a striped stem that grow to 40 centimeter high.
THE LEAVES
Laves are thin, heart-shaped, and 8–10 centimeter long and 8–11 cm wide, with 5 main veins from the base of the blade, oil glands on the upper surface, and finely pubescent veins on its under side.
Edible leaves, used for cooking and wrapping food such as in Miang Kam
THE FLOWERS
Its erect, cylindrical flowering shoots are 1–2 cm long, and consist of small, stalkless and petal-less white male or female flowers. Species is monoecious, where male and female flowers are produced on different spikes on the same plant. The male flower spikes are 6 mm long, while the female flower spikes are longer and denser (12 mm long).
THE FRUIT
The seed/fruit that looks a little like a green/brown mulberry when ripe and can be eaten; it is a tasty morsel of sweet jelly-like pulp.
CULINARY USES
The leaves have a mild pungent flavor, and are used raw, and cooked.
A traditional way of preparing the leaves is as a wrapping for spiced minced meat and other morsels. In Thailand, these wraps are a favorite snack, using an assortment of fillings, like peanuts, shrimps, shallots with lime and raw ginger, also know as Miang kham.
NUTRITION
The wild betel leaf is rich in protein, had a good complement of amino acids, and a favorable amount of minerals, sugars, lipids and fiber.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
The leaves can be used for headaches, arthritis and joint pain.
The roots can be crushed and blended with salt to relieve toothache.
Also, it is valued as a natural antibiotic and drunk as a tea regularly to benefit health.
The tea is traditionally drunk to keep the body free of unpleasant smells of perspiration and menstrual odor.
The herb is also valued as a tea for keeping teeth and gums strong and healthy.
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!
Kommentare