Description and uses of Warrigal greens, New Zealand spinnach, Tetragonia tetragonoides- a Bush Tucker Plant or Bush Food

bushtucker

Plant Description

Botanical Name: Tetragonia tetragonoides
Common Names: Warrigal Greens, NZ spinach (It also grows in New Zealand)
This is a herb with arrow shaped leaves.
Photo courtesy Dot Crane

Usage

Warrigal Greens have a spinach flavour. Their uses are as for spinach & Asian greens. They are also used in quiches and stuffings.

However, caution must be taken. Like some other edible plants, Warrigal Greens have a high oxalate concentration. Only leaves and young stems should be eaten and these both should be blanched for 3 minutes to remove soluble oxalates, and the water discarded.

Recipes

The following are coutesy Geoff and Colleen Keena

DIP

The dip is nice but you MUST try the second recipe, especially if you have vegetarian leanings!
DIP
Shallots, chopped, tossed until tender in olive oil
Warrigal greens, blanched
2 x 250 g cartons of low fat cottage cheese
(I used peppercorn and herb as I didn't have any native pepper or any other native herbs available)
1 x 250 g carton of low fat sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
pinch sugar

Process all ingredients.
Chill overnight.
Do not taste until next day - taste is disappointing when just made but the flavours all went through and it was good the next day.

I served it on chunks of French stick.

WARRIGAL GREENS PIE (rice base)

Rice (extra tasty if rice is cooked in coconut cream)
(we use coconut milk powder and add it to the rice as it is being cooked in the microwave - not low-fat but delicious)
Greased dish - I used an oval dish 27 cm x 19 cm and 5 cm deep.
4 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup low-fat milk
grated low fat cheese
blanched warrigal green leaves

Put a layer of rice into the bottom of the dish, patting down firmly until layer is about 2 cm thick
Cover rice with a thick layer of fat-reduced grated cheese
. Then place a layer of blanched Warrigal Greens so cheese is completely covered.
Pour over the eggs beaten with low-fat milk
. Add another layer of grated low-fat cheese to finish off.

We cooked it in the microwave for 5 minutes on high and 10 minutes on medium.
It was delicious both hot and cold. I garnished with lemon myrtle leaves and flowers and native hibiscus blooms.

Hope this works out - I tend not to measure, just a bit of this, etc.