Mallung

{{short description|Sri Lankan vegetable condiment or salad}} {{Infobox food | name = Mallung | image = Mallung.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | alternate_name = Mallum, Mallem | type = | course = Side dish | country = Sri Lanka | region = | national_cuisine = Sri Lankan cuisine | creator =  | year = | mintime = | maxtime = | served = | main_ingredient = Leafy greens, grated coconut | minor_ingredient = Onion, chili, spices, Maldives fish | variations = | serving_size = | calories = | calories_ref = | protein = | fat = | carbohydrate = | glycemic_index = | similar_dish = | other = }} '''Mallung''' or '''mallum''' ({{langx|si|මැල්ලුම්}}), is a shredded vegetable Sri Lankan dish that comprises lightly cooked/sautéed greens, with fresh coconut and any number of spices and chili.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka|first=Charles A.|last=Gunawardena|publisher=New Dawn Press|date=2005|page=95|isbn=9781932705485}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Food of Sri Lanka|author1=Bullis, Douglas|author2=Hutton, Wendy|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|date=2001|page=39|isbn=9781462907182}}</ref> Mallung is a common condiment and is eaten at almost every meal.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Silk Road Gourmet Volume One: Western and Southern Asia|first=Laura|last=Kelley|date=2009|publisher=iUniverse|pages=286–287|isbn=9781440143052}}</ref> Meals are often served with one or two different mallungs, which play an important part in nutrition as this is how locals maintain a regular vitamin intake in their diet.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Complete Asian Cookbook|first=Charmaine|last=Solomon|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|date=2002|isbn=9780804834698}}</ref> The word 'mallung' or 'mallum' simply means 'wilted'.

The central ingredient of mallung is a leafy green vegetable, finely shredded and combined with a standard set of ingredients to enhance and support their flavour. Different plants are used to make mallung including cassia, passionfruit leaves, watercress, or water spinach leaves. In western countries leafy vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, chard, and kale are used as substitutes for traditional Sri Lankan greens.<ref>{{cite book| title=Atul's Curries of the World| first=Atul|last=Kochhar| publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing| date=2015|page=193| isbn=9781472932785}}</ref> Additional ingredients include chopped green chillies, chopped shallots, chopped curry leaves, crushed garlic, a chopped clove of garlic together with half a cup of shredded coconut for every kilogram of moist leafy greens, seasoned with turmeric, salt and pepper, powdered Maldives fish, and lime juice.<ref name=Serendib>{{cite web|url=http://serendib.btoptions.lk/article.php?issue=42&id=1059|title=The Art Of The Mallung|publisher=SriLankan Airlines|first=Daleena |last=Samara |date=June 2013 |access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/sri-lankan-food-a-spell-binding-mishmash-of-the-islands-history/articleshow/50786969.cms|title=Sri Lankan food, a spell-binding mishmash of the island's history|newspaper=Economic Times|first=Anoothi|last=Vishal|date= 31 January 2016|access-date=3 September 2020}}</ref>

A range of bitter, medicinal, and wild greens are commonly chosen for mallung in Sri Lanka, mostly using the leaves of native plants. One of the most popular mallungs is made with gotukola (''Centella asiatica''). Other popular varieties include kankun (''Ipomoea aquatica''), kathurumurunga (''Sesbania grandiflora''), and mukunuwenna (''Alternanthera sessilis''). Herbal leaves such as aguna (''Wattakaka volubilis''), ''Cheilocostus speciosus'', and passionfruit leaves are also used in mallungs.<ref name=Serendib/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Salads Category:Sri Lankan cuisine Category:Sri Lankan vegetable dishes Category:Foods containing coconut