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Ponnanganni Varai

Posted by Mathy Kandasamy | Filed under Keerai (greens), Sri Lankan, Jihva For Ingredients(JFI), Archives

Kay of Towardsabettertomorrow says

Ponnanganni keerai - This keerai, as the name suggests, improves the complexion of the body. (My thought: I think it detoxes and thereby, the complexion improves!)

This keerai has opposite effects when eaten in different ways - This applies to only this keerai, as per the book I read, long long ago. When you cook it with pepper and a tiny bit of salt and nothing else and eat it with rice, it will help with weight loss. Whereas you cook it with dal and have it with ghee, it is supposed to help with the weight gain. Isn�t that a wonder?

If I’m asked to choose a green, I would pick this one. I’ve had fights when I was young, over this keerai. It seems i demanded this keerai to be cooked everyday. Hmmm… I must have been quite diserning then. Wonder where I lost it.

In chennai, you can get Ponnanganni keerai along with other quite exotic keerai like mudakkaththaan and vallarai from a lady who comes from the outskirts of the city. Whenever we visit the temples in Thiruverkadu or Mangadu, we would buy these greens. Sometimes we buy everything lock, stock and barrel. As time went by I went to these temples just to buy these greens. Wish I’d taken some photos. The greens would still have some of the morning dew on them!

Over here in Montreal, I’m quite blessed because the Sri Lankan stores import Ponnanganni. If you visit the stores on Wednesdays, you could see a fresh bunch, as fresh as it’s possible anyways. We can also get vallarai and agathikkeerai. And Murungai keerai on some lucky days. It’s times like these I wish for some South Indian stores, because then other greens such as Araikkeerai, Manathakkali Keerai, Gongura would be available. Methi or vendhayakkeerai is available in the Indian stores and in middle-eastern stores. Just the thought of Manaththakkali keerai is enough for me get depressed.

Well, I’m going to revive myself with my other favourite green Ponnanganni.

I was quite lucky because I used to get an abundant supply of Ponnanganni even in Honolulu. Can you imagine that? First time I saw a patch of Ponnanganni, I could not believe it. I’d seen two varieties of Ponnanganni - green and purple. I saw purple Ponnanganni once in a while near the temples I mentioned earlier. So, I could not be sure if the plant I saw was Ponnanganni or not. Took a picture, developed, scanned and sent home to confirm it! After that my friend and I would make frequent visits to harvest this green.

The USDA website declares Ponnanganni or Sessile Joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis) as a noxious weed. First of all I dont like the name Sessile Joyweed. How dare somebody call this precious green a weed! Some discerning soul must have added the word to compensate. Ok. lets get back to the ‘noxious weed’. I was quite incensed when I read that USDA has declared this to be a noxious weed. I took it up upon myself to argue about this with them and found out that they have declared this to be a noxious weed, because of it’s ability to grow, grow and grow! Good for the good old Ponnanganni said I.

One last bit of information before I go to the recipe. FRLHT’s Encyclopedia of Indian Medicinal Plants lists 121 Tamil names for Ponnanganni. Some of them were variations of the the name Ponnanganni. Still 121 names..

You can see for yourself.

Alternanthera sessilis (AMARANTHACEAE)

Nomenclature:The plant name is available in the following languages. The number in the braket [] indicates different names of the same plant in that language. Language(s) Vernacular Names English[2] Mukunawanna, Water amaranth. Hindi[1] gudrisag. Kannada[2] honagonne, honagone soppu. Malayalam[5] coluppa, koluppa, minannani, ponnankannikkira, ponnannani. Marathi[1] kanchari. Sanskrit[12] lonika, matsyaksaka, matsyaksaka, matsyaksi, matsyaksi, matsyaksi, matsyaksi, matsyaksi, matsyaksika, minakshi, minaksi, patturah. Tamil[121] ponnanganni, ponnankani, kotuppai, kotuppai, ponnankanni, ponnam kani, ponnankanni, ponnankanni, ponnangani, ponnanganni, ponnangannikkirai, ponnangkani, ponnaankanni, ponnannanikkirai, ponnanganni, kodupai, ponnankani, ponnankanni, al, alaku1, antarnilai, anumacakanni, anumacakka, anumacakkay, cakaccai, cakatevi3, cakatevicceti, cempucattumuli3, cenkanni, cirinakannicceti, cirinam, citaci, citacikannicceti, citalacatti3, citalakkani, citali#, citali$, citalicceti, citani, citanicceti, citapu, citapuram, citevi3, citevicceti2, cittaman, cittamani, cittamanicceti, citti2@, comakanni, comakannicceti, comavallari, comavallaricceti, cukatir, curaiman, curaimankanni, cuvatuvarnam, intiranikani, intiranur, iruncatuvamaippuntu, kalavativalaki, kallukkalaikkattan, kallukkalaittan, kallukkattanceti, kani, kannukkanimuli, kannukkiniyan, karippavai, karippavaicceti, karpurakkanni, karpurakkannicceti, karpuram, katuncitalatti, kayacitti1, kayacitticci, kotuppai, maccikkanni, maccikkannicceti, macciyacci, macciyankanicceti, macciyankanni, macciyatti, maicatci 2, menattukkanni, menatu, minatci, muci, natcattirantonri, nettiranaci, nirovati, pakalnatcattiramtonri, patturam, patumalayam2, pautikamankai, pautikamankaicceti, perunkotuppai, pittacanti, pittacanticceti, ponkani, ponmeni, ponmuli, ponnakunkanni, ponnankani, porkani, porkanni, punarkannikkirai, tacamaikkanni, tacamaikkannicceti, tai2, tevarur, tirekacitti, tiyakkanni, tiyakkirai, ulavanikacceti, ulavanikam, umparur, utukatti, varikkani, varikkannicceti, vatuvarnam, vinnukkulmurtti, ponnan kani. Telugu[2] ponagantikura, ponna ganti-kura. Tibetan[5] dza la pi pi la (d), dza la pi pi la (d), tsha la pi pa la, tsha la pi pa la, tsha la pi pa la.

Recipe:

1 bunch Ponnanganni - cleaned and chopped
1 medium onion - sliced thinly
2 green chillies - chopped finely (Optional)
1-2 garlic pod - chopped finely
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Sri Lankan Curry Powder (or according to taste)
1-2 teaspoon scraped coconut
salt
Indian Sesame oil

In a skillet heat oil. Add onion and let turn translucent. Add green chillies and garlic and keep stirring once in a while. Once the onion is fried a little (this would take around 3 minutes), add fennel seeds, cumin and curry leaves. Then add curry powder and quickly stir. Immiediatly add the chopped greens and mix nicely. Cover and let it cook for about 4 minutes. Open the lid and stir once more and if necessary let it cook for one more minute. Then add the scraped coconut and salt and mix nicely. Close the lid once more and let the flavours mix together. Stir once more and switch off the heat.

Ponnanganni keerai is best with hot steaming rice. And could be accompanied by any South Indian/Sri Lankan curries. Personally, I would not need any accompaniments.

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