Some vegetables arrive in neat supermarket packages. Others grow so readily that we call them weeds. Purslane belongs to the second group—but it deserves a place on the plate.
Here in Hua Hin, I can get purslane at the fresh market, but I have to order it in advance. It is worth asking your vegetable seller: a useful ingredient may be available even when it is not on display.
What does purslane look like?
Common purslane (Portulaca oleracea). Photograph: Didier Descouens, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Image used without alterations.
Look for thick, smooth, spoon-shaped leaves, fleshy branching stems that are often reddish, and small yellow flowers. Wild plants commonly spread close to the ground; cultivated varieties can grow more upright. The flowers may be closed when you see the plant.
The picture is a recognition aid, not enough on its own to identify a wild plant for eating. Spurge can grow in a similar spreading shape. It has thinner leaves and releases an irritating milky sap when broken. Do not taste an unknown plant to identify it, and do not rely on the absence of milky sap alone. Ask a knowledgeable grower to confirm the species. Buying purslane grown for food also avoids collecting it beside busy roads or on ground treated with herbicides. [1,2]
What are its nutritional benefits?
Purslane contributes nutrients and variety to a plant-based diet. Its most interesting feature is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, a plant omega-3 fat. ALA is an essential fatty acid: we need to obtain it from food. Purslane is unusual among leafy vegetables for containing it, although amounts vary with the plant and growing conditions. It complements foods such as flaxseeds and walnuts; a handful of leaves should not be treated as an equivalent serving of these more concentrated sources.
ALA is also different from the EPA and DHA found in fish and algae. Our bodies can convert some ALA to these fats, but conversion is limited.
Purslane also provides vitamin C, carotenoids including beta-carotene, and minerals such as magnesium and potassium. Beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A, while magnesium contributes to normal muscle and nerve function. Its plant compounds include several polyphenols. Nutrient content varies between leaves, stems, varieties and growing conditions, so a single impressive number does not describe every bunch. [1,3]
That makes purslane a useful food, but it does not establish that eating it prevents cancer, reverses ageing or treats diabetes. Studies of concentrated extracts cannot automatically tell us what a normal portion of cooked greens will do.
Dr Michael Greger has discussed research on purslane for oral lichen planus on NutritionFacts.org. This concerns a particular medical condition and a preparation used in research—not evidence that a purslane salad treats mouth disease. His discussion is linked below for interested readers. [5]
A point to remember: oxalates
Like spinach, purslane contains oxalates. People who form calcium oxalate kidney stones should ask their clinician or dietitian whether purslane fits their diet, rather than starting to eat large portions every day.
Boiling purslane in water and discarding that water can reduce its soluble oxalate content. It does not remove all oxalates. Keeping the cooking liquid in a soup keeps the oxalates that have leached into it, too. A quick stir-fry should not be assumed to have the same effect as boiling and draining. [4]
For most people, the practical approach is variety: enjoy purslane alongside other vegetables rather than making one green the centre of every meal.
How to prepare it
Use the leaves and tender stems. Remove roots, tough stem ends and damaged material. Wash thoroughly under running water, separating the branches so that soil trapped between them can escape. Drain well. Refrigerate your bunch and use it while fresh.
Its flavour is lightly tart, and the fresh leaves have a pleasant succulent crunch. Cooking softens them and can give them a slightly slippery texture. [1]
1. A fresh tomato and purslane salad
For two people, combine two handfuls of washed purslane with one large chopped tomato, half a cucumber and a little finely sliced onion. Dress with lemon or lime juice, a small amount of olive oil and black pepper.
Add chickpeas or white beans to make it more substantial. A spoonful of pumpkin seeds adds crunch. The leaves already bring some tartness, so taste before adding extra citrus.
2. Purslane with garlic and tofu
Cook sliced garlic gently in a little oil, or soften it with a splash of water. Add cubed firm tofu and cook until warmed through. Add the purslane for the last two or three minutes, turning it until just wilted.
Finish with lime juice and a small splash of naturally fermented soy sauce. Serve with rice. This is a suggested kitchen method, not a treatment or a measured way to remove oxalates.
3. Add it to lentils, soup or curry
Chop the tender stems and add them before the leaves. Stir the leaves into a nearly finished lentil dish, vegetable soup or tomato sauce and cook until tender. Start with a small amount in curry so you can judge how its tang and texture fit the dish.
Purslane offers another way to bring greens into an ordinary meal. Ask at the market, learn what it looks like, and try a small bunch. A plant often pulled out of the garden may become an ingredient you order deliberately.
Sources and further reading
- University of Wisconsin Extension: Common Purslane, Portulaca oleracea — identification, nutrients and culinary uses.
- University of Wisconsin Extension: Spotted Spurge — distinguishing features and irritating milky sap.
- Phytochemical composition and nutritional value of different plant parts in two cultivated and wild purslane genotypes (2020) — laboratory analysis of plant composition.
- Poeydomenge and Savage: Oxalate content of raw and cooked purslane (2007) — effects of cooking and pickling on oxalates.
- Dr Michael Greger, NutritionFacts.org: The Benefits of Purslane for Treating Oral Lichen Planus — discussion of a specific clinical study.