Red Root

RED ROOT

A friend offered me cooked leafy greens I thought was spinach. Much to my surprise it wasn't spinach at all. She called it Red Root, a weed that is more thought of in the west as a problem for gardeners & livestock owners. I'd never heard of it before and overlooked it as just another inedible weed growing on dunghills. I am also told that Red Root is expensive especially in the big cities. Expensive & free... I couldn't resist.



Here it is on a dung heap.

First I washed & steamed it. Oh, the aroma that it gave when I lifted the lid was wonderful.
(Oh and incase you're wondering, that light colored twig looking thing is, its Japanese Knotweed.)
 

 
Then  sautéed it with other vegetables...

 then wrapped it in a chapati.

It cooks just like spinach and tastes delicious. 

I will start blanching it for the winter.  It's worth it.

I couldn't help but to google it to see what it's medicinal benefits are. (As all things in nature possess.)

"Red Root herb grows in temperate climates and makes a great tea, in fact during wartime it was used as a tea substitute. Plus it can be taken as tincture and also in capsules and it works great for asthma, bronchiole diseases, and coughs too. The root is very astringent making it a good mouthwash for oral ulcers. Also works well for improving lymphatic circulation and thus helps with edema… and problems related to the spleen and liver… and now Red Root has been used for the treatment of prostate enlargement. Red Root also works well for internal bleeding and also healing skin lesions. Plus Red Root is a good antispasmodic and also helps relax and sooth away tension, and it’s a good antiviral and antibacterial agent, and Red Root is a powerful antioxidant."  http://paulhaider.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/health-benefits-of-red-root/

"Adenoid Enlargement, Asthma, Bronchitis, Cough, Cysts, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Dysmenorrhea, Epstein-barr Virus, Fatigue, Fever, Headache, Hemorrhoids, Hepatitis, Hodgkin's Disease, Lymphatic Congestion, Mononucleosis, Nosebleeds, Sore Throat, Spleen Enlargement, Testicular Hydrocele, Tick Fever, Tonsillitis, Tumors" http://theherbalfarm.blogspot.ca/2008/01/red-root.html

Ugandan Chapati Flatbread

A friend from Uganda showed me how to make an African flatbread called chapati.  I rarely use recipes & she doesn't use them at all but for the sake blogging I've googled a chapati recipe that was very similar to the chapati I made.  If you're interested, here's the link to the one I found.

CHAPATI (My version of it anyway.)

Granted they weren't perfectly round but they were good nonetheless.

• 2 cups of Duram Atta flour (or any flour of your choice)
• 1 tsp. of Adobo (or salt to taste)
• 1-2 tsp. of Chief Head Curry (or whatever flavors you like)
• 1/2 cups of finely diced onions (optional)
• 3/4 cups of water
• oil (for frying)

Adobo

1, Knead all the ingredients together.  The dough should stick together into a ball BUT should be dry enough so that it doesn't stick to your skin.  If it's to dry add a little more water.  If the dough is sticking to your skin add a little more flour.
2, Divide the dough into about seven balls.
3, Oil the surface for rolling.  Roll with a rolling pin until thin.
4, Fry in a skillet until brown.
Enjoy.

Chief Head Curry