Pepper elder or pansit-pansitan is a delicious herb packed with a lot of health benefits, including treatment for gout and high-blood pressure.
Pepper elder (Peperomia pellucida) or more commonly known among Filipinos as pansit-pansitan or ulasimang bato (Tagalog), olasiman ihalas (Bisaya), sinaw-sinaw (Bikol), and lin-linnaaw (Ilocano) just to mention a few is an herb that grows wild and abundant in most gardens and practically anywhere else.
While it is known by its various names around the Philippines, I will refer to it as pansit-pansitan throughout this article.
Pansit pansitan is thought of by many people as a weed or a type of grass that makes them feel uneasy or apprehensive in consuming it. However, it is not grass but an herb and may be eaten as a vegetable. Not only that, it does taste good!
Pansit pansitan is thought of by many people as a weed or a type of grass that makes them feel uneasy or apprehensive in consuming it. However, it is not grass but an herb and may be eaten as a vegetable. Not only that, it does taste good!
Pansit-pansitan leaves are small and heart-shaped and can be easily added to soups, salads, and other meat and vegetable dishes. It complements and enhances the flavor of other ingredients, so it's really pleasant to the taste.
Pansit-pansitan’s texture and flavor
Pansit-pansitan has a pleasing mild peppery taste, similar to a radish but really subtle. It does not taste bitter at all so it just needs to be washed thoroughly to remove dirt and can be eaten as-is with a light dressing or mixed with other green leafy vegetables as a salad. Pansit pansitan has a satisfying crunch that is why it is popularly prepared as a salad dish in many parts of Southeast Asia.
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| Pansit-pansitan leaves |
Anyway, I recently thought of preparing pansit-pansitan at home for my in-laws because I see a lot of it growing in our garden and I wanted a healthy dish on our table that can address high blood pressure, arthritis, gout, and general inflammation in the body.
I know pansit-pansitan because it is a common vegetable in our town in Nueva Ecija but is most often prepared as tea or decoction, meaning the plant is boiled in water to extract its healthy components. It is then drunk as a health drink for overall physical wellness. The root, most especially, is regarded as the most potent part of the plant.
Introducing pansit-pansitan to my companions at home
While my in-laws love vegetables (we have a vegetable garden at home), they are not familiar with pansit-pansitan and initially thought that it was odd to consume “grass” but I explained that it was really an herb and that it tasted good as a salad or even in soups.
To be honest, it was also my first time eating pansit-pansitan but I was perfectly fine with it because I knew of it as an edible and quite delicious plant.
To be honest, it was also my first time eating pansit-pansitan but I was perfectly fine with it because I knew of it as an edible and quite delicious plant.
So I prepared a salad for my in-laws, the usual way that we prepare our salads at home for them to feel comfortable with eating it. Honestly, it took us a bit of convincing for them to try it and after the initial apprehension, they actually thought that it tasted good and wanted me to regularly prepare it as a side salad.
If you are like my in-laws who are not familiar with pansit-pansitan, I do hope that you would reconsider it for its health benefits as well as its wonderful flavor.
Pansit-pansitan (peperomia pellucida) health benefits
Because pansit-pansitan is an analgesic, anti-arthritic, and a diuretic Here are some of pansit-pansitan’s health advantages, which I hope will convince you to enjoy it:
- It can help treat gout
- It can help relieve rheumatism
- It may help address hypertension
- It is also used to treat renal disorders such as urinary tract infection
- It can help cure pimples when mashed and applied topically to affected areas
These are just some of the health benefits of pansit-pansitan that struck me. However, it has countless other benefits that range from treating eye inflammation to burns and wounds, to headaches.
Pansit-pansitan salad
In some Southeast Asian countries, particularly in Vietnam, pansit-pansitan is prepared in a variety of ways. most notably as a vegetable side dish, a salad, and in soups. In the Philippines,
Here is a simple salad recipe on how I prepare pansit-pansitan at home:
Here is a simple salad recipe on how I prepare pansit-pansitan at home:
Ingredients:
- A good bunch of pansit-pansitan (you can just pick the stems and leaves and leave the root in the soil)
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion (you may use 2 medium red onions if unavailable)
Dressing:
For the dressing, I decided to make it all-Filipino with a bagoong-calamansi sauce but you can also use a vinaigrette, olive oil, or Gochujang (Korean chili paste).
Here’s what you will need for the bagoong-calamansi dressing:
- Juice from 5 pieces calamansi or half of medium-sized lemon
- 2 pieces chili, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- Half a piece of ginger, grated
- Fish bagoong (Balayan or Pangasinan)
Procedure:
- Wash the pansit-pansitan at least twice in clean water and cut them into smaller pieces.
- Chop the tomatoes and the onions.
- For the sauce, combine the calamansi juice, grated garlic and ginger, chopped chili, and gradually add the bagoong until you get the desired flavor.
- Toss all the ingredients together until all the vegetables are coated with the dressing. You may serve this immediately or chill before serving it.
Print and file this recipe
Rated 3.7/5 based on 10 customer review(s).
Pansit-pansitan salad
Author: Ivan Jose
Author: Ivan Jose
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Servings: 3
Calories per serving: 100
Simple, fast, and delicious pansit-pansitan salad.
Ingredients:
- A bunch of pansit-pansitan (leaves and stems)
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion or 3 medium red onions
- Juice from 5 pieces of calamansi
- 2 pieces chili
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- half a piece of ginger, grated
- fish bagoong (Balayan or Pangasinan)
Instructions:
- Wash the pansit-pansitan at least twice in clean water and cut them into smaller pieces.
- Chop the tomatoes and the onions.
- For the sauce, combine the calamansi juice, grated garlic and ginger, chopped chili, and gradually add the bagoong until you get the desired flavor.
- Toss all the ingredients together until all the vegetables are coated with the dressing. You may serve this immediately or chill it before serving.
- Serve during breakfast. RATE THIS RECIPE
Epilogue
Pansit-pansitan is an easily accessible herb that is packed with a lot of health benefits. It is delicious and quick to prepare.
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| Fresh pansit-pansitan |
Are you familiar with pansit-pansitan? Have you tried this before? If you have recipes that use pansit-pansitan, share them in the comment section below.
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I Heard this already about this Kind of Healthy Foods, truly This Pansit-pansitan is nagbibigay Healthy sa ating Katawan, super Ganda ng Benefits sa Katawan, even i didn't taste yet but in your Blog Daddy Ivan, at sa mga Nabasa Ko na Before Talaga naman Worth Matikman To.... Salamat po sa Pagshare dad...
ReplyDeleteNung bata pa po ako kadalasan itong pansit pansitan Ang ginagawa po naming niluluto sa lutulutuan😁 bukod sa madali mo Ng makita dahil kung Saan Saan po siya pedeng tumubo lang at sa ngayon nga po ay kinakain na siya ngayong nakakatuwa dahil pedeng gawing salad or juice na bukod sa masarap at easy to prepare pa ay Ang Dami po pa lang health benefits na makukuha sa kanya 🥰🥰 and thank you po daddy Ivan for sharing some recipes nito pong pansit pansitan 🥰🤗
ReplyDeleteHindi ko alam kung nakita ko na ba to nung bata pa ako, at Ngayon parang wala pako nakikita . Or baka meron diko lang napapansin nakakatuwa naman dahil meron pala itong taglay na benefits sa katawan natin . Pwede rin pala syang isama sa Salad. 🥰 For sure Napakasarap nito.. Very interesting po. Thankyou for sharing daddy ivan..
ReplyDeleteNoong natira po ako dito sa probinsya doon ko lang din na discover itong pansit pansitan. Masarap po talaga lalo na kapag bagong pitas, kaya ako ang ginagawa ko nilalagyan ko lang ng sardinas pwede ko na ulamin maghapon. Sobrang daming healthy benefits kaya salamat po sa pagshare ng mga recipe para maoba naman ang luto, siguradong susubukan ko to! ❤️
ReplyDeleteI'm guilty too, I'm sorry for taking you for granted pansit pansitan 😅 Madalas tinatabas ko tong pansit pansitan coz it really looks like weed.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed with its health benefits and how delicious it taste. It's nice learning about some recipes.
I never know about this good benefits of pansit-pansitan until I read about it here in your blog. Its really amazing how a simple herb can have such an amazing benefits to our health. I've seen pansit-pansitan before and I thought it was just another type of grass that shouldn't be eaten. O really find this blog informative and helpful as well. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and procedures on how to make a salad with pansit-pansitan at home.
ReplyDeleteActually I'm surprised by it ,it was my first time to hear and read ,it was really beneficial.it reminds me of my childhood and we always see this anywhere ❤️ IL definitely try it to my salad recipe
ReplyDelete