Gotu kola sambola/salad is a delicious and healthy dish from Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, we have a habit of adding at least one green for our meal. Most of the greens are eaten raw as sambola/salad. One of the popular green leaves among them is Gotu Kola.
Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) has many health benefits. In Sri Lanka, it is being used for traditional Ayurveda medicine. Mainly it is good for memory and brain. Other than that, it is good for eyes, hair, blood vessels, skin and there are so many benefits. Just search for ‘Gotu Kola’. You may amaze with its super health benefits.
We mainly eat Gotu kola raw as a salad and also include the root of it to be more healthier. I really don’t like its taste once it is cooked into curry or mallung. But another way of having this plant is as a herbal porridge.(kola kanda)
This is one of our favourites. I can still eat a plate of this salad with added fresh lime juice. May be it is due to habit of my mother. She frequently added this to our meals saying it enhance our memory.
Here is the Sri Lankan recipe for Gotu kola sambola/salad.
Ingredients (for 2-3 servings)
Handful of Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)
½ cup fresh grated coconut
2-3 small red onion/shallots sliced
2 green chili sliced
Salt to taste
1 tbspn lime juice
Method
Wash and clean Gotu kola. If gotu kola are with roots; clean the roots well and wash away thoroughly for any sand. Slice Gotu kola into very thin pieces. When it is thinner, sambola will be tastier.
Slice onion and green chili.
In a bowl, mix sliced gotu kola, onion, green chili and salt together with lime juice.
Gotukola sambola is ready to serve.
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Notes:
Mix the all ingredients just before serve to keep the freshness and taste.
Use fresh coconut and lime juice for more taste.
This gotu kola known as pegaga in Malaysia. This herb can reduce fever for dangue fever if we cook it as soup.
ReplyDeletethat's a great information,thanks,I didnt know that before...
Deletelooks very tempting in the banana leaf,yumm:)
ReplyDeletethanks Julie....yes,food in banana leaf are always delicious...
DeleteHave never tried this one. Should see if we can get it here
ReplyDeleteit is really delicious and healthy....
DeleteWow I love this, so healthy and I luv greens too.
ReplyDeleteamy...never knew all these recipes. one fact about its health benefits makes the dish tempting to taste
ReplyDeleteVery nice greens & healthy too!
ReplyDeleteVery new and definitely a super healthy salad.
ReplyDeleteLove greens always. This is totally new to me dear. Looks delightful.
ReplyDeletetoday's recipe:
http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.in/2013/02/paal-kozhukattai-kollukattai-modaks-in.html
love this salad , i am craving , so simple .lovely clicks
ReplyDeleterefollowed
ReplyDeleteyour blog is beautiful xx
http://tarastreatsreviews.blogspot.co.uk/
never heard it.. looks healthy and love the color of it
ReplyDeletevery innovative recipe dear..
ReplyDeletenew to me ....healthy dish... loved that color..nice click..
ReplyDeleteOoh, this looks fantastic!! It sure looks healthy :)
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! Thanx for sharing! Wonderful snaps!!
ReplyDeletewow ...it looks simply superb..it is a common plant in kerala but never known that it is edible..thanks for sharing this..
ReplyDeleteI don't think we get Gotu kola in India.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, it is very inviting as always :-)
It's been very long time since i had gotukala, after coming to singapore i didn't have chance to eat. BTW where do you get gotukala in Singapore, i'm quite sure the Gotukola in little india not the same as in Sri Lanka isnt' it?
ReplyDeleteNice post with lots of information.
thanks for the comment,yes,Gotukola which we buy from Little India is a different type.
DeleteThis is from Sri Lanka.
Whoever come from Sri Lanka to visit us,I ask them to bring some Gotukola and some other greens.... :)