Aunt Amina's Kurdish Purslane Recipes

This recipe is dedicated to my dear aunt Amina in Iraq. Whenever I see purslane I think of her.. and the time she discovered some growing in the garden of our newly rented home in northern Iraq, she instructed us kids to pick them and so we did.

I was about 10 years old at the time and remember following her to the kitchen to see what she was going to do with it. She made two recipes and both were so perfect and delicious in their own way.

Fast forward to this week, I was on an outing with my sisters taking a walk when I spotted a huge patch of purslane growing between some dragon snaps, it was the best and most healthy bushes I've ever seen!! My sisters thought I had gone mad but good thing I had a plastic bag with me because I began picking it like a maniac.

The area looked safe, meaning it does not seem to be a place where dogs or raccoons would hang out, it's always best to be cautious when picking plants that are for eating.

When I returned home I washed it all very well a few times and soaked it in a bit of vinegar (This is a good trick that we used a lot in many countries abroad for washing vegetables and such )

These recipes are super easy, both were sautéed in a bit of garlic butter and to the first I added some eggs and scrambled it in.

The second recipe took a little longer, it began with the garlic butter and sauteeing and caramelizing a can of chopped tomatoes until tender and then adding the purslane in at the end and cooking for a few minutes until the stalks softened a bit.

Serve with bread and it's absolutely delicious!

Thank you Aunty Amina for teaching us about this lovely ingredient!