Nutritional value of INNALA

INNALA

Nutritional value
Innala is the most profitable tuber crop that is grown in Sri Lanka. It is grown basically for the local market and where cultivation is done in large extents marketing is not a problem. A net profit of over Rs 100,000 / acre is earned by certain farmers in the traditional areas. It also has a nutritive value that is similar to potato and is considered a 'safe' vegetable as it is grown basically without any pesticides.

Nutritional value: (% d.w.)
Moisture	72.9-77.6
Carbohydrates	19.7-23.4
Protein	1.3- 1.46
Fat	0.3-0.6
Fibre	0.4-0.87
Minerals	0.9-1.07

Per 100g dry weight
Ca-17.0mg; Fe- 6.0mg;
Thiamin 0.05 mg; riboflavin 0.02 mg; niacin 1.0 mg; ascorbic acid 1.0 mg
Principal amino acids are: argenine; aspartic and glutamic acids

Some physical properties
Starch granules- shape: round; size: 70% between 8-16? (smaller than other root crops hence, high digestibility)
Total amylose content: 33%
Gelatinisation temperature: 65-85 0C
Cooling to room temperature: 56 seconds

Unique record in yam preservation

By preserving 64 varieties of local yams, the Aranayaka Community Development Centre (ACDC) has established a unique record islandwide as well as abroad, according to reports.

ACDC Manager, Damayanthi Godakumbura told the Daily News that the centre initially had preserved 36 local varieties of yams with the participation of 100 farmers belonging to 10 villages in 2001.

Preservation had been done for 50 varieties of yams with the participation of 200 farmers and in 2011, ACDC was able to preserve 64 varieties of yams with the help of 500 farmers.

Godakumbura added that the majority of activists in yam cultivation was women.

In 2007, the ACDC had won the 'Soba Jana Prasadinie' award. The ACDC had also won the first place at the Bio-Diversity Preservation Contest 2008 in Barcelona, Spain beating the best 25 projects out of 6,000 different projects.

In 2010, the ACDC had represented village women at the United Nations Bio-Diversity Summit held in Nagoya in Japan, where 192 countries participated.

Courtesy: DailyNews 

How to cook lotus root

How to cook lotus root 

(From the archives - since all of a sudden, a lot of people are asking about lotus root! Originally published in April 2008.)

Lotus root (renkon in Japanese) is actually the rhizome of the lotus plant. It’s a popular vegetable throughout southern and eastern Asia, but it’s still not that well known in the west. Lotus root is full of fiber and various vitamins and other nutrients. In Asia it’s believed to have various medicinal qualities, but in macro-nutrient terms it’s best to think of it as a starchy vegetable, like potato. Visually of course, it’s very appealing with all those little holes. Here I’ll explain how it’s prepared and eaten in Japan.

How to prepare lotus root

First off, this is how a raw lotus root looks like. You can buy them at an Asian (South or Eastern) grocery store. More often than not they will be vacuum packed. A nice fresh one is a light orangey-brown. The older the root the browner and darker it is.

Mature lotus root has a sort of slightly bitter or tannic quality, so should not be eaten raw. (Apparently young lotus roots can be eaten raw, but I’ve never encountered them unfortunately.) The bitter/tannic substance is most concentrated in the skin, so you should peel it. Inside, it’s a light flesh color.

(Another way to deal with a raw lotus root is to steam it whole, but peeling and slicing is easier for beginners.)

Raw lotus root will start to darken almost right away, rather like raw potato. To prevent this, put the peeled lotus root in water with a little vinegar in it. If I slice it up, I put the slices in the vinegar water.

If using the slices for a salad, or for any dish that has no further or very little more cooking, they should be boiled for a couple of minutes in vinegared water. This retains the crunchy texture but gets rid of that tannic-ness.

You can also buy lotus root in cans, which can be used straight away. However, many canned lotus roots have been bleached to make then whiter, so I prefer to use raw lotus root if I can find it. (The natural color of lotus root is a very light flesh-orange.)

Changing textures

Depending on how long it’s cooked, the texture of lotus root varies from crunchy to very starchy and a little sticky. I like it either way. Here are two ways of using lotus root in its crunchy stage.

Recipe: Lotus root, cucumber and Serrano ham salad

• 1/2 lotus root, sliced very thinly and the slices cut into halves
• 1/2 English or seedless cucumber, de-seeded and sliced thin
• 1-2 slices of Serrano or other dried ham, cut into thin slivers
• 1/2 Tbs. rice vinegar plus additional for cooking
• Dash salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbs. mayonnaise

Put the sliced lotus root into vinegar water as you slice it, as described above. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add a little vinegar. Boil the lotus root for a couple of minutes. Drain and cool under running water; drain well.

Mix the vegetables and seasonings except the mayonnaise together well with your hands, scrunching them a bit to let the flavors penetrate. Add the mayonnaise and ham and mix well. Serve immediately, or cool in the refrigerator until dinner time.

Recipe: Stir-fried lotus root with sesame and green onions

• 1/2 lotus root, sliced very thinly
• 1 piece of fresh ginger about 1 inch / 2 cm or so long, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloved, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of roughly chopped green onions
• 2 Tbs. hot red chili pepper, finely chopped
• Oil
• Vinegar for the lotus root water
• 1 Tbs. sesame seeds
• Pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Put the sliced lotus root into vinegar water as you slice it, as described above. Drain well just before cooking.

Heat up a large frying pan with the oil. Add ginger and garlic, and stir fry until the oil is very fragrant. Add the drained lotus root slices in a single layer. Cook until the lotus root slices start to change color - they turn a bit translucent looking. Turn over and cook a couple more minutes.

Add the chili pepper and green onions, and stir-fry. Add the sesame seeds, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil. The lotus roots should get a bit caramelized from the soy sauce. Serve hot or cold. This is very nice for bento.

Other ways to eat lotus root

• Lotus root mini-cakes with sweet chili sauce. This uses the starchy, sticky quality of grated cooked lotus root.
• Lotus root slices poached in dashi and vinegar - a very traditional Japanese dish
• Cut up and put into soups or stews - the longer it’s cooked, the more starchy it gets
• Deep-fried or baked as chips (these baked ones on jugalbandi look great)
• With a batter as tempura
• Sandwich some meaty filling inside and pan-fry (hasami-age)

Kohila reduces unnecessary toxins in the intestines

Kohila reduces unnecessary toxins in the intestines
by Namini WijedasaKohila (Lasia spinosa) is a spinous marshy herb which grows abundantly in Sri Lankan marshlands. It is cultivated as a vegetable in certain areas. There are five varieties: kiri kohila, guru kohila, wel kohila, kalu kohila and goda kohila.
The tubers, roots and leaves are used as medicine. The tubers and leaves contain a lot of fibres. Kohila tends to be cooling. The leaves contain calcium and vitamin C.
The tuber of the kiri kohila is tastier also boils easily, says Dr. Lakshmi Senaratne, chief scientist (Ayurveda) at the Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurveda Research Institute. Guru kohila, by contrast, is less tasty, larger than the others and takes longer to boil. Wel kohila is a climber and grows in water. In kalu kohila, the leaves and tuber are large while the stem and leaves are blackish in colour. Dr. Senaratne explained that it has more medicinal properties and is sharper in taste but rarer than the other varieties, being rather difficult to come by. All varieties favour hot and wet climates.
Kohila is eaten widely in Sri Lanka as a vegetable. Senaratne recommended that the tubers be slightly crushed in order to expedite the process of boiling. It is used widely, both as a food and a medicine, by those suffering from piles.
Kohila reduces vatha and kapha but some Ayurveda writings says that it reduces all three humours. It is suitable for liver conditions. Due to the high prevalence of fibre, it gives a good motion.
Taken as a vegetable, kohila reduces unnecessary toxins in the intestines and is effective for other disorders in the intestines. The tuber reduces bleeding and is given after indigestion and diarrhoea (not during). Eaten as a food, it increases appetite and body weight, reduces urine output and burning sensation in the body. It also expels worms.
The tuber and leaves are used to prepare cunjee. The leaves of the wel kohila are eaten as a curry. According to Senaratne, anyone suffering from haemorrhoids can take wel kohila. "It will initially cause the haemmrrhoids to burst and bleed but will subsequently cure them," she explained.
For bleeding or non-bleeding plies, take raw kohila tuber, cut into small pieces, mix with red onions and boil slightly in a bundle. Extract juice and drink. Kohila cunjee with red onions is also recommended. The tuber is also used in decoctions for bleeding and non-bleeding piles. It is suitable for patients with chronic consumption, even children. "Crush the tuber and cook," Senaratne advised. Kohila is given for those suffering from measles and fever accompanied with rashes.
Kohila is also good for diabetic sufferers and those with high cholesterol because of its tendency to reduce absorption of sugar and fats.
Boiled tubers are given to cattle for curing all internal disease. It also acts as a tonic. For indigestion in cattle, grind 50 grams of tuber into a paste and feed.

Roots & Yams in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka produces a wide range of root crops for consumption purposes

The agriculture sector in Sri Lanka, is still the mainstay of the country's economic powerhouse, with significant performance from commodities such as tea, coconut, rubber, cinnamon, pepper, pineapple, tamarind and yams. The total revenue earned in 2001 was Rs. 78 billion.
Most attention is being focused on plantation crops, spices and the staple food crop, paddy. Introduction of various assistance schemes, technologies aimed at increasing production as well as farmer income, were mainly centered on these crops, due to their importance in terms of foreign exchange earning (93%).
Increasing global competition has opened the way to diversify Sri Lanka's non-traditional agriculture sector aiming at export markets. In view of this fruits, vegetables and yam (FYM) of Sri Lanka have been identified as a priority area for development and promotion in the overseas markets. The sector has earned Rs. 1.80 billion during the year 2001.
Although the earnings are not significant compared to the volume of national agriculture produce exports the sector has guided towards the systems to increase productivity, improve quality, cut down cost of production, use of modern post harvest technology, aiming at exports and catering to different market segments locally.

The main products exported from Sri Lanka are fresh yams (manioc, kiriala, king yam) fresh vegetables, (green chilies, snakegourd, karawila, capsicum, leeks, tomato, beans, cabbage and assorted ranger) fresh fruits (pineapple, avocado, seasonal fruits and assorted fruits) processed fruits, vegetables and yams (gherkins, preserves, chutneys, fruit juices, mixed products).
Sri Lanka produces a wide range of root crops for consumption purposes. Manioc, sweet potato, kiriala (Taro), purple yam, keedaran, innala and aquatic roots such as lotus root, kohila, are widely available in the local market.

Sri Lanka's annual total production of root crops is estimated at 336,000 tons (Census and Statistics). Few types of root crops such as manioc, kirala, king yam and innala are exported from Sri Lanka mainly for the consumption of expatriate consumers in the Gulf and other developed markets. Export of manioc, kiriala, king am and other root crops have earned Rs. 80.0 million in the year 2001.

They do Sri Lanka proud