Pirandai with leaves and flowers.

Pirandai in Wild – Vellore Mountain.

Perrandai Thovaiyal

There is new wing of studying ethnic herbs and concoctions (Medico-Ethnobotany/ Ethnobotany / Ethnobiology). The Tribals, Natives, Witch doctors, Shamans, Ayurdeva, Siddha, Unani doctors….have been practising this for centuries.(Medicine is always practising….and never studying…..for eg: the result won’t be repeated with everyone….certain group, sex, worknature, geographical location, everthing matters) Anyways…. increasing the supply by breeding certain species, tapping its specific genes…..in order to meet the increasing demand should be duly noted. Besides R&D….government should take measures towards conservation, educating the locals…

Its Botanical name is ‘Cissus quandrangularis’. We call this as Pirandai / Perandai in Tamil. Its English common name is ‘Edible Stemmed Vine’.

Other names of the Vine:

Sanskrit: asthisonhara; vajravalli Hindi: hadjod; hadjora; harsankari
Bengali: hasjora; harbhanga
Marathi: chaudhari; kandavela
Gujrati: chadhuri; vedhari
Telugu: nalleru
Tamil: pirandai
Canarese: mangaroli

It is mainly used as healer of bone fractures. It is one of the very frequently used herb by traditional bone setters of India. (In Hindi Hadj=bone; Jod=to fix). It is also used for piles, asthma, digestive troubles, cough, and loss of appetite.

Chemical Constituents: Stem isolates include 3- keto steroids, onocer-7-en-3a, 21b-diol (I) and onecer-7-en-3a, 21a-diol (II).

Other Uses:Stems and roots yield strong fiber. Young shoots are used in curries. See my Pirandai Karakuzhambu here:

Ingredients:

Pinju Pirandai/young shoots of pirandai-finely chopped 1 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Dry red chilies 5
Garlic 5 cloves
Tamarind paste 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Salt
Ghee / Sesame oil 1/4 cup(I used ghee).

Method:

In a wok, heat oil and fry the pirrandai. One have to fry this really well or otherwise…..its kind of hard while swallowing(it is pricky-maybe its rhaphides)Then set it aside.

In the same oil, fry all the other ingredients. Once it turns reddish brown, again add the pirandai to it. Fry them again really well.

Let them cool and then take it to blender and wet grind the same.

Serve this along with steam cooked rice/raagi kali/raagi Sangati. Simply un beatable!