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Say it with me: Orach!

From Gone Walkabout by Tiffanie McCoy

April 1, 2009

My CSA likes orach, which I think is technically purple goosefoot. Think of it as ancestral purple spinach. It tastes like spinach, but is a gorgeous magenta, with some green leaves thrown in for variety. In the past, I was always a bit lost with the orach... I’m not a big fan of spinach, honestly. I like the hardier greens more, like kale and chard.

But! I have finally found my super-easy last-minute dinner use for orach. In the Simple Suppers cookbook from Moosewood is a recipe for sesame crusted tofu over spinach. You press your tofu slices into sesame seeds, fry them in sesame oil until browned on both sides, toss in some soy sauce and flip the tofu so it gets the soy sauce on both sides, then plate them and put the orach into the pan to wilt. I usually add some oil and any extra sesame seeds from the plate. Serve all this over some rice and you have a great meal! Plus, the tofu is toddler friendly; mine eats an entire slice all by himself and asks for more. He’s not eating the orach yet, sadly.

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1. by Kim on Apr 2, 2009 at 2:03 PM PDT

I am so glad to have learned of a new vegetable! Does orach keep its color when cooked? Wow.

2. by nekobasu on Apr 2, 2009 at 2:21 PM PDT

It becomes darker, rather purple. The leaves when raw can be various shades of magenta, plus the green outliers. It’s pretty over brown rice, but very suspicious to a toddler. :-) He calls all greens spinach or seaweed, but he didn’t know what to name sauteed orach.

3. by DawnHeather Simmons on Apr 3, 2009 at 10:25 AM PDT

Cool! A vegetable I hadn’t heard of! I’ll have to watch for that. Meanwhile, the dish, itself, sounds wonderful. Been looking for a new way with tofu. You can be sure I’ll be trying this! Thanks for sharing.

4. by cafemama on Apr 5, 2009 at 9:19 PM PDT

I tried orach for the first time last year from the super-hippie guy at the portland farmer’s market (yes, there’s a SUPER hippie guy, osmogaia) whose produce i always suspect of being plucked wild from mountaintops. I didn’t do it justice with my cooking. but then a few weeks ago at the co-op my almost-four-year-old insisted on buying orach seedlings, and they’re growing great! they look so pretty when it rains. we’ll soon have lots to eat, too, I can’t wait!

5. by Larry on Jun 21, 2010 at 12:20 PM PDT

I live in Manitou Springs Co.
I was given one plant last year and now I have dozens after I let it go to seed.I am thinking of taken then to the farmers market.Anyone in this area interested?

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