THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MANIPURI VEGETABLE CURRY. EKAI-THABI; THE INDIGLOUS PLANTS (NEPTUNIA OLERACIA)

THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MANIPURI VEGETABLE CURRY.
EKAI-THABI; THE INDIGLOUS PLANTS (NEPTUNIA OLERACIA)

Picture of a commonly available vegetable in manipur locally known as “Ekai-thabi”. Mostly eaten raw with “Morokmetpa” (Manipuri Chilly sauce) or used in “Kanghou”.
Ekaithabi (NeptuniaOleracia) is a water growing sensitive plant commonly known as water mimosa. Morphologically it looks very similar to its land counterpart Mimosa Pudica, except that M. Pudicahave thorns where as Ekaithabi have developed a white spongy air filled tissues that covers the stem. This modification and presence of spongy tissue helps the plants to float in the water. The stem of the plant is creeping floating and rooting at the nodes. The roots are brown and are in cluster. The sensitivity or closing of leaves when touched are comparatively slower then Mimosa pudica. Ekaithabi produces bright yellow flower rather than pink as their land counterpart.
Plant resources of South East Asia (PROSEA) reported Neptunia Oleracia to be widely distributed in the tropics of both hemispheres, but the origin of the species is uncertain. It is cultivated as vegetable throughout South East Asia, particularly in Thailand and Indochina. Ekaithabi grows on the banks or margins of water bodies and then spreads out over the water surface. It prefers lakes, farm dams, ponds and swamps but also grows along slow moving water ways. It is usually found glowing in sunny location in water, less than one metre deep.
Ekaithabi can be grown via seeds or can be propagated through cuttings.