Tuna Curry with Marsh Spinach–Kari Koko Ton ek Bred Lanmar

This Tuna Curry with Marsh Spinach–Kari Koko Ton ek Bred Lanmar– is a true celebration of Seychellois ingredients and flavours.  Tuna and coconut are enhanced with warming spices including cinnamon, ginger, garlic and turmeric. Serve with steamed rice

This Tuna Curry with Marsh Spinach–Kari Koko Ton ek Bred Lanmar– is creamy and packed with flavour, with the coconut milk adding the extra layer of richness and coolness. It is made from letoufe of tuna and  is a highly popular dish in the Seychelles.

What is letoufe?

For this dish the tuna is steamed first. In Seychelles, this process is called letoufe which is derived from the French word  ‘étouffée’ (borrowed into English as “stifled”) meaninng, literally, “smothered” or “suffocated”, from the verb “étouffer“. It is a cooking method which involves cooking in a covered pan at low heat with minimal amount of liquid.

This method is primarily used to cook fish which is usually cut in cubes, seasoned with salt and black pepper then placed in a pot with a few drops of oil and a dash of water. Some spices may be added and the preferred one is cinnamon leaves. The pot is covered with a heavy lid (ie.stifled) left for about ten minutes on a low heat.  It is then removed from the heat and kept covered until needed, which is usually the next day. Letoufe is another method used  to preserve fish to be consumed later and was used extensively all over the islands in days before the introduction of refrigeration.

Another reason why the tuna is steamed prior to starting the curry, is that somehow there is a tendency, although not all the time, for the coconut milk to curdle if fresh tuna is used. I do not have an explanation for this.

Bred Lanmar In Seychelles

In Seychelles marsh spinach is known as bred lanmar. Bred is a Creole word that refers to a large variety of the tender leaves and shoots of some edible plants that are used as leaf vegetables.  The word bred may be Portuguese in origin ‘bredo’ or ‘brada’, or possibly Indian ‘brette’, meaning good to eat.  The main types of bred or greens that are consumed in the Seychelles apart from bred lanmar are: Bred moroum, bred paryater, bred martin, bred soudsin, bred sousout, bred zironmon, bred mayok, cresson or watercress and bred gondole. Click here to learn more about these greens.

Traditional way to grow Water spinach in Seychelles

In days gone by, most households in Seychelles grew their own water spinach. They all had a water source outside in the yard located not far from the kitchen. Before pipes were introduced, water, which was sourced from small streams up in the hills, was supplied by bamboo pipes or ladal . The water was stored in a large container made out of wood , half wine barrel, and later concrete. This container is locally known as  bay. The bay is derived from the French word ‘baille’ which is a word used mainly in the marine environment to describe a container that is used for different purposes including holding water to wash the deck, storing the anchor line, storing tools for the boat as well as a container in which to have a bath. As a young boy, I enjoyed having a bath in our bay!

Because the ladal had no tap to turn the water off, the bay would always overflow. This gave rise to a wet patch next to the bay and in order to drain the water away, a long ditch was dug.  This ditch was consequently always waterlogged making it the ideal environment to grow water spinach as well as taro or larouy.

Water Spinach around the world

In Malaysia and Indonesia, water spinach is known as kangkung. It is known as phak bung in Thailand, rau muong in Vietnam, trokuon in Cambodia, and kangkong in the Philippines. In Australia it is known as water spinach, swamp spinach, morning glory and kangkong, depending in which shop for your spinach.

Water Spinach is not a spinach!

Despite its English name, water spinach is not really spinach, nor is it botanically related to it. It (ipomoea aquatica) is a member of the  convolvulaceae (morning glory) family.

It is a semi-aquatic plant that thrives with little or no supervision. In fact, it grows so quickly that it is considered invasive in some regions of the world. On the other hand, in Seychelles as well as Southeast Asia where it is used to cook myriad dishes, water spinach is not considered invasive at all. On the contrary, it is perceived as a culinary blessing because it grows so easily and is therefore sold very cheaply.

We grow ours in a raised bed in Melbourne and as you can see in the photo above, it thrives even in the Melbourne climate.

Varieties of Water Spinach

Water spinach has long, slender, dark green leaves and thin, hollow stems. It comes in two varieties: The green stem water spinach which has narrow leaves and white flowers  and the white stem water spinach, has arrow-shaped leaves and pink flowers. There is no difference is taste between the two and both the stems and leaves are eaten.

What Does Water Spinach Taste Like?

Although it is not related to spinach, bred lanmar does taste a bit like a cross between spinach and watercress. It does not, however, have the slightly earthy taste and bitter bite that spinach can have. But it does have a savoury, mild, and slightly mineral flavour. Once cooked, the leaves turn very tender like spinach with a hint of sweetness. The cooked stems stay crunchy with a refreshing taste.

Buying Water Spinach

You can find water spinach sold in bunches, like spinach, in some grocery stores, markets, and in Asian specialty stores. Always check for freshness—signs of wilt, yellowing, or dampness indicate a shorter shelf life once you purchase it.

Storage

Once purchased, store water spinach in a bag in the refrigerator and consume it as soon as possible, preferably within three days. Please note that the longer you store it, the more prep it will require since you will need to pick out and discard any withered leaves. It is best to not wash it before you refrigerate it, as this can make it wilt quickly. Wash it right before you intend to cook with it.

Preparing Water Spinach

It is very important to cook the water spinach before eating. This is because it is difficult to determine the sanitary conditions of the water in which the vegetable grew.

With the water spinach still bunched, cut off the tough stems, usually about 5 cm from the bottom end, unless it is very young and tender. Discard the leaves that are withered, have brown spots, or have turned yellow. Thoroughly rinse with tap water to remove any sand or grit trapped in the stalks and leaves and transfer to a colander to drain

After discarding the unwanted parts, take the bunch of water spinach and cut it horizontally into sections of about  6cm long. You may choose to give the cut spinach another thorough rinse. Drain and keep.

What tuna to use?

Tuna is a meaty fish with a distinctly rich, strong flavour. It comes in many varieties, such as bluefin, yellowfin and albacore. Each variety has its own distinct flavor and is low in fat and high in omega -3. It is a very popular fish in the Seychelles especially the Yellow Fin variety. The flesh quality varies according to the species but in general the flesh is dark pink in colour with a beautiful coarse grain and rich flavour. Any type of tuna can be used for this Tuna Curry with Marsh Spinach–Kari Koko Ton ek Bred Lanmar.

Choosing your tuna

The best way to check the freshness of your tuna is by the smell and touch – it should be odourless, firm and moist. But if you are unsure of the fresh tuna you are buying, buy frozen tuna. Tuna freezes well and the technology of freezing has advanced to a point where the product is able to be preserved with little decrease in quality. Moreover, most tuna that are frozen are processed very quickly after capture when the fish is at peak freshness.

If you plan to buy tuna steaks for cooking, ideally choose thick cuts (about 3–4cm) to ensure that the tuna remains moist.

Here is the recipe for Tuna Curry with Marsh Spinach–Kari Koko Ton ek Bred Lanmar.

Did you make this recipe?

I hope you will enjoy cooking this dish. Please let me know how it turned out for you. If you have a different version of the recipe or have related questions, please leave your comments below.

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