The Bitter Queen Of Green Salads Made With Fresh Coconut- අගුන කොළ සම්බෝලය

Green Milkweed Climber Salad 

Yield – 2 cups 

Prep time – 10 mins

As Sri Lankans, we love to have rice, a couple of vegetable curries, fish or a meat dish, and a green salad as our lunch. Our salads are different from western ones as we include freshly grated coconut in them. Sometimes we quickly cook them to make “Mallum”. Either way, it’s a must that we eat a salad on daily basis. Almost all Sri Lankan mothers are so fond of feeding their kids with these green salads in order to have glowy skin and long, healthy-looking hair.

There are 2 main bitter dishes famous in Sri Lankan cuisine, i.e. Green Milkweed Climber Salad and Bitter guard curry. Having said that these 2 dishes provide lots of benefits to our bodies. This salad helps our body to regulate blood glucose levels, hence recommended to include it in a diabetes diet. Also, it improves milk production in feeding mothers. 

This bitter, yet healthiest salad is made with few ingredients and done in 10 minutes and can pair up with a bowl of steamy rice with other curries of your choice. 

What you need?

• 1 1/2 cups milkweed climber leaves, finely sliced 
• 3/4 cup scrapped coconut
• 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon green chili, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon lime juice

Let’s make it? 

1. Take a non-metal container (clay, glass, or ceramic). 
2. Add milkweed climber leaves, coconut, onion, chili, salt, pepper, and lime juice. 
3. Mix together by using a hand for about a minute until everything combines well. 
4. Serve with some rice. 

Tips: 

• Add 1 tablespoon Maldives fish to enhance the taste. 

Make ahead info: 

• Remove stems, wash leaves 2-3 times, and arrange them as a pack before slicing.