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All these years of all the places in US I was very lucky to live in Houston. Here we can find a wide variety of international foods. We have Armenian, Arabic, Turkish groceries- I can find all kind of foods we can possibly be craving. Not just unperishables but perishables too. They even import fish from Mediterranean. I buy a lot of fruits and vegetables that I cannot find in other grocery stores. Have you ever eaten raw green almonds, loquat or sour green plums? If you stumble upon somewhere you should try! To me they are to die for! Purslane is another thing I can only find in these stores. Few times I found in Farmers Market, but they were different, another type may be I don’t know.
Purslane to me is associated with Bodrum. Located in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey, it is our summer getaway. I haven’t been to Bodrum for two years and I am really craving for it. I miss the beach, beautiful sea, Bodrum nights and our garden. Our garden with all the colors in the world, flowers, fruit trees. I really miss picking fresh purslane from our garden for every dinner. Either with garlic and yogurt or just plain with some lemon and olive oil. Pure happiness!
Did you know that purslane is one of the richest omega-3 sources? It has more omega-3 than other greens in addition to other vital vitamins and minerals. Tasty and healthy- hard to come by. There are different ways that I enjoy my purslane, but mainly raw.-I hardly ever cook my purslane. First, as plain as possible just with olive oil and lemon. Second with garlic yogurt. Third one is in any salad with any ingredients you want. Here, I’m giving you an example but combinations are of course endless.
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Purslane Salad
Ingredients
1 cup Barley
1-2 bunch purslane
pomegranate, corn, chopped walnuts for garnish
For the dressing:
1/2 lemon juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
1. Cook barley according to instructions. If there isn’t any: Boil 2 cups of water put 1 cup of barley in it and simmer until they absorb all the water and puff up.
2. Chop and add purslane.
3. Garnish with walnuts, pomegranate, corn and cheese.
4. Combine ingredients for the dressing, add on and toss the salad.
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Purslane with Garlic Yogurt
Ingredients
Purslane
Yogurt
Garlic, minced
Salt
1. Chop purslane coarsely.
2. Put purslane and garlic in yogurt and mix all together.
3. Drizzle some olive oil and salt to taste.
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I love purslane – and it grows as a “weed” in my garden so I leave it to grow among the tomatoes and peppers. Your photography is beautiful. Do you use any artificial light?
Thank you so much Deanna. Yes, purslane is a wild one. It pops up everwhere in our garden too. Good thing I’m dedicated to eat them all.
I don’t use artificial light. Only natural light. Glad you liked them.