On my recent trip to the farmer’s market, I was introduced to a vegetable with a bright green leaf called Chaya, aka Mayan Tree Spinach, Mexican Tree Spinach, or Chicasquil. The funny thing is I recognized the leaves right away but didn’t know it was edible. The gentleman went on to share with me how to prepare chaya. I was so excited to get home so I could do more research on this new vegetable that I knew very little about.
To my surprise, it was very nutritious and had so many health benefits. It reminded me of other leafy greens that I have prepared before, like Jamaican Callaloo, African Style Braised Kale And Tomatoes, and Southern-Style Collard Greens. To make life easier, I decided I would prepare a simple dish with chaya leaves and to my surprise, it turned out very delicious. I can’t wait to get more fresh chaya leaves!
Steamed Chaya – Spinach Tree
If you are adventurous like I am, then you would love to try this vegetable. The main thing is to do your research and talk with people who eat the food you are interested in trying. Question them to find out exactly how they prepare it.
I decided to prepare the leaves and save the stems for planting so I can have my own plant by next year, to experiment with more recipes.
What Is Chaya?
Chaya is an evergreen shrub from the Yucatan peninsula, and has been the staple food of the Mayans for centuries. Chaya is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, a cousin to the hibiscus and cassava plant. Chaya grows in hot and humid weather and the plant grows up to 6 meters.
Chaya leaves are usually prepared boiled in water for 20 minutes then cooked just like you would spinach. Chaya is also traditionally prepared with eggs, rice, soup, stir-fries, and other traditional Mayan dishes. The leaves must not be eaten raw, but must be cooked before being eaten, because the raw leaves contain hydrocyanic glycosides, which is easily neutralized once cooked.
Health Benefits Of Chaya
Studies suggest that Chaya has way more nutritional benefits than spinach and callaloo (amaranth). Chaya has been used traditionally to treat many ailments such as diabetes, kidney stones, arthritis, obesity, eye problems, and acne. Read more.
Chaya is a good source of Vitamin A and C, a great source of protein, calcium, iron, phosphorus. Read More.
Where Can I Buy Chaya Plant?
Chaya plant can be purchased here in Florida at local nurseries, in Texas or online on Amazon. Seeds and capsules, are also sold on Amazon.
How To Make Chaya?
- To make steamed chaya, remove leaves from stems of the plant, rinse under cold water.
- Cover chaya leaves with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring the leaves to a boil on medium-high, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Discard water and roughly chop the boiled leaves.
- Heat oil in a saucepan on medium high, add onion, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomatoes and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
- Stir in chaya leaves, 1/4 cup vegetable broth or 1/4 of vegetable bouillon plus 1/4 cup water. Cover saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes or until chaya is tender. Season with salt to taste.
- Delicious served with Scrambled Tofu and Baked Plantain.
Other Leafy Green Recipes To Try
- Aloo Palak (Potato And Spinach Curry)
- Vegan Southern Style Mixed Greens
- Vegan Spinach Soup
- Jamaican Callaloo Patty
- Green Smoothie Detox Recipe
Categories
- Categories: Gluten-Free, Vegan
- Course: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
(Per serving)- Energy: 109 kcal / 456 kJ
- Fat: 7 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Carbs: 9 g
Cook Time
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 25 min
- Ready in: 35 min
- For: 2 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 cups chaya leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil, I used avocado
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or 1/4 vegetable bouillon plus 1/4 cup water
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Remove chaya leaves from stems of the plant, rinse under cold water.
- Cover chaya leaves with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring the leaves to a boil on medium-high, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Discard water and roughly chop the boiled leaves.
- Heat oil in a saucepan on medium high, add onion, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomatoes and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
- Stir in chaya leaves, 1/4 cup vegetable broth or 1/4 of vegetable bouillon plus 1/4 cup water. Cover saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes or until chaya is tender. Season with salt to taste.
Hey Michelle, they won’t let me say “bad Girl” but quickly change your “Throw away the water’ COMMENT. fAST. tHE WATER IS BOTH DELICIOUS and NUTRICIOUS !!! i HAVE BEEN GROWING AND USING CHAYA LEAVES (ususlly cooked, dried and ground) and drinking the water (must be boiled at leaST 4 MINUTES TO KILL WHATEVER,) BUT ONCE BOILED IS SUPER DRIMK, EITHER as water or as nutrient tea. It mixes with practically anything, . I grow them.
It makes a great hedge on the property line. A branch breaks, it grows a new one. Just stick a branch into the ground and water it. That easy.
Prefers sun but I just cut back 2 big ones in the wrong place in mostly shade. I have not looked up the price lately , but will gladly sell some,
especially those two I just pulled the leaves from to cook tonight.
Any questions, feel free to contact me.
Wow Sandy, thank you for your feedback. I make sure I have Chaya in my garden but I never knew you could actually drink the water. Thank you for your offer, however, I recently got some from my friend Craig at https://floridafruitgeek.com/. Have you tried Tree Collard as yet, waiting for the weather to cool to plant some?
I found some chaya at the farmers’ market this week for the first time – I had never heard of it before. Followed your recipe but steamed the leaves in a pressure cooker for ~ 8 minutes. Then, to make a one-pot, complete meal I added a bag of Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, and a can of garbanzo beans. Served with a little bit of the Vio-life vegan feta and it was all quite amazing!!! Thanks!!!
Aww, that’s awesome, I saw it at my local farmers market also. I’m happy you made it your own.
Hi Renee, agreed with the water! It is so aromatic. Also, same here- I grow it like a hedge, and the butterflies flock! One concern about the pressure cooker: Chaya should be cooked for 25 minutes or so, to eliminate the naturally occurring toxins in it- it is like manioc that way. Google a little bit more and you will see. I hear another way to eliminate toxicity is to add citrus/acidity, but I could not find conclusive instructions on the quantity. But do make sure you neutralize the toxicity, one way or the other! And never use aluminum utensils with it.
I find this vegetable intriguing and now I want to make it.
It is so delicious Sally, I really hope you try it.