Moras Bhaji is a beautiful salty succulent that grows in damp regions like mangroves, dunes, beaches, etc which is available mainly during early monsoons.
About Moras Bhaji:
Botanical Name
Suaede Maritima
Common Names
Indian Salt wort ( English)
Lano/Luno/Morad ( Gujarathi)
Moras ( Marathi)
Nirumari (Tamil)
Ila Kura ( Telegu)
Nunkha ( Haryana)
Availability
This green grows around seashores, marshy lands, salt marshes, etc.
It is a halophyte. Halophytes are salt-tolerant plants growing in waters with high salinity like marshy lands, swamps, etc which is exactly where moras grow abundantly.
It is mainly available in the local markets from July to September.
Appearance
The leaves are lush green, thick, and fleshy with a smooth surface similar to many succulents while the stems are fleshy and some have a hint of red-pink color. If you taste the leaves you will find them to be hydrating and slightly salty. The flowers are tiny and mainly grow on the topmost tip.
How to clean?
If you see the leaves of this bhaji the leaves, they are shiny and appear to be wax-coated like most succulent leaves, making them super easy to clean.
Wash it clean under running water and you are good to go.
You can either use only the leaves or can use them as it is with the stem.
Culinary Uses
- Salad
- Chutney
- Dry vegetables
- Theplas/Parathas
- Cutlets/ Pattice/Falafels
- Vrat / Fasting foods: Moras being salty is widely used by many during fasting like Gauri vrat, Navratri fasts, etc in the form of theplas, parathas, wadas etc.
Hope you try out this vegetable and share your experience with me in the comments below.
Also, there are many such lesser-known vegetables like Moras which are consumed across India. Sharing a few of my favorite wild foods here-Aakur, Kudachya shenga
Happy Reading and Eating.
Is it callee Purslane ?
* It mainly grows & available in monsoon near sea coast in south Gujarat, it is called Moras ni Bhaji/Khari Bhaji/Dariyaii Bhaji.
* In Gujarat, a similar variety of Purslane which grows every where in dry, arid areas with very small thick green leaves on thin red/reddish stems is called LUNNI NI BHAJI, KULFA KA SAAG IN HINDI & NONI KA SAAG IN BIHARI.
What is the length of it’s leaves ?
Is the stem of this sea weed red/reddish ?
What is the colour of it’s flowers ?
Can we get seeds of this sea weed ?
Thanks.
This is a kind of Purslane just like Lunni or kulfa.
The length of Moras is around 1 inch unlike lunni which is around 0.5-1cm. The stem of Moras is green.
Also Lunni as far as i know is available through the year atleast through oct-may but moras comes somewhere around August and is there till the Navratris in October/November
Can someone help me out in sourcing this?
What moras called in English
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out any other names for it (not even in English)
Purslane
It’s called Sea purslane in English