To understand Agriculture isn't something that must exclusively pertain to the farming community. Contrary to how the world perceives it, it’s not about sowing that seed, pouring water and harvesting the produce for sale. It’s so much more than that. It’s a relationship that has be-friended man since the beginning of time and systematically provided for his or her sustenance through the centuries. And yet it does not get the due mention that it deserves !
To understand Agriculture isn't something that must exclusively pertain to the farming community. Contrary to how the world perceives it, it’s not about sowing that seed, pouring water and harvesting the produce for sale. It’s so much more than that. It’s a relationship that has be-friended man since the beginning of time and systematically provided for his or her sustenance through the centuries. And yet it does not get the due mention that it deserves!
Today I would like to focus on the sesbania grandiflora. In local lingo it’s referred to as the agathi poo. What is it about this particular ingredient that inspires me to delve into the realms of the interaction between humans and mother earth is something you may wonder. Well, I’ll tell you!
Growing up, my siblings and I were exposed to a multitude of cuisines.This stemmed from the fact that my parents not only believed in traditional living but also appreciated the ways of cultures other than our own.So while we did eat a daily lunch of keerai and rasam, we were also taught to enjoy pot roasts, turkey dinners, apple pies etc, all home-made of course.
Therefore the agathi keerai was always a part and parcel of our diet. It wasn’t until curiosity set in about the different aspects of plants; nutrition profile, maintaining a kitchen garden, avoiding pesticide laden produce and so forth that my world changed to include the wealth of what nature has, to give, in abundance.
The only requirement from us is to recognize, respect and receive. So, coming back to the agathi, the plant looked quite different from other keerai (spinach) varieties. For starters it grew rather tall and wasn’t contained to the ground. When it reached tree like stage (if allowed to grow naturally) was the time that it’s pretty blossoms made an appearance.
They are quite unusual in form and because they grow quite high the white ones can be missed unless one is specifically looking to spot them. The red variety on the other hand can be easily spotted and adds great ornamental value to the plant.
In English they are known as the humming bird flower, because the curved petals do resemble the beak of the tiny bird by the same name. My first sighting of these pretty flowers was a few years ago. That’s when a wizened old farm hand told me that these could be made into a delicious stir fry. On further studies it revealed that it was high in medicinal properties that could be beneficial in warding off asthmatic attacks, rheumatism as well as having anti-microbial, analgesic benefits.The flower extract is said to be used in naturopathy for epileptic patients.
This is one ingredient that must be cooked immediately on picking. It’s quite fragile and does not last under refrigeration for more than a day. It does have a slight astringency to it so grated coconut must be added to balance the flavour properties. Since we only get a small quantity at a time, we came up with a recipe that is now a favourite of mine. Lightly steamed green beans are sautéed in cold pressed coconut oil, along with the agathi flowers, salt, coconut gratings and mustard seed, curry leaf temperings. It’s delicious just mixed into plain rice or eaten with rasam rice.
It's not something that is commonly found these days at most South Indian homes. I do hope after reading this article, it will inspire you to add this yummy dish to your lunch menu. To attain a wow factor in food using a local ingredient is what the best cooks in the world aspire to. The agathi poo tops the list on that score.
Pazhaimudhir Nilayam does carry these on occasion, but do check with your farmer or better yet, grow your own agathi plant. It’s also a valuable nitrogen fixer for the soil.