March 5, 2015
Green leafy vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals, they are also rich in fiber. According to studies, it can help lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates in the bloodstream after a meal. Leafy greens help maintain beautiful skin and hair since it contains a lot of water making it a great addition to our diet.
If we go to supermarket/wet market we can see different kinds of vegetables, if we love backyard gardening, we can also plant it in our own backyard for a fresh harvest. There are green leafy vegetables which easily grow under full sunlight or hot climate like "Alugbati" a common vegetable in the Philippines. It is also known under common names such as Pui, vine spinach, red vine spinach, climbing spinach, creeping spinach, buffalo spinach, Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach etc.(source: Wikipedia)
Alugbati has a low calorie and fat count. A 1 cup serving of alugbati contains 10 calories and 0.34 grams of fat. If you are trying to lose or maintain your weight alugbati is one good choice in addition to your diet.
In Chinese cuisine,, it is often used in stir fry and soups, while in North Vietnam it is cooked with crab meat to make soup. This kind of green leafy vegetable can also be found in supermarkets not only in the Philippine but also in Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian grocery stores and farmer's market.
I love alugbati. There are two ways on how I prepare at home. I usually blanch it then fill it with cut tomato, onion, ginger, vinegar, and salt to taste, and also my favorite "ginisang alugbati" recipe which I added a little lean meat.
The Scientific classification of alugbati:
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Baselaceae
Species: B. alba
