Recommended 5 Nusantara Foods Made From Miana Leaves, Apart From Being Delicious, They Are Also Healthy

Illustration of Indonesian food made from miana leaves (Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao)

JAKARTA – Miana leaves, this plant has the scientific name Coleus scutellarioides. There are various varieties of this plant which are characterized by different leaf colors. Uniquely, a number of studies have found that miana leaves have benefits for maintaining health.

Although further research needs to be done regarding the safe amount of consumption of the extract, according to a study published in 2020 in the Biomedical and Pharmachology Journal, miana leaf found that miana leaf extract has the potential as an herbal medicine that plays a role in increasing the immune response at the molecular level.

In addition, miana leaf extract, according to a study entitled Molecular and Immunological Mechanism of Miana Leaf (Coleus Scuttelarioides [L] Benth) in Infectious Disease, found the potential of this beautiful leaf to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects.

Regarding the benefits of miana leaves for health, it turns out that many traditional foods in the archipelago are made from purplish red leaves with green motifs. What are these foods? Most familiar, miana leaves are eaten as food ingredients in Toraja, here is the list.

1. Vegetable Bulunangko

Miana leaves, also known as bulunangko or mayana vegetable plants. Not infrequently it is also known as sare'nangko which belongs to the sage plant family, which is often used for tea and seasonings such as oregano. Besides being cooked as a vegetable, mayana leaves are also used as a natural food coloring.

2. Saute mayana

As with normal stir-fry, the process is simple enough to create a unique blend of flavors. It tastes quite bitter, like papaya leaves. However, after being washed with salt water and kneaded so that the sap is reduced, the bitter taste does not feel thick. To get a savory taste, can be added with sea fish.

3. Milkfish cooked mayana

Milkfish is also delicious when cooked with miana leaves. The shape is like a combination of urap and pepes, the taste is very rich. How to cook it, first put it in a frying pan of young miana leaves that have been washed clean. Mix it with the sliced milkfish, spices such as shallots, garlic, chilies, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, scallions, lime leaves, and luwak.

After the mixture is cooked with water until it evaporates. Then add the melted civet, and finally add the grated coconut. Let stand for a while, then ready to be enjoyed with warm brown rice.

4. Chicken cooked with miana leaves

How to cook miana leaf chicken like the previous recipe. The seasonings and steps are the same, but the resulting glow is very different. Miana leaves often grow wild, but be careful when identifying them, OK? Based on the motif, the edible miana leaves are purplish red in the middle and green at the edges.

5. Pa'piong

Pa'piong is a dish typical of the Toraja region, the ingredients needed include meat, banana tree trunks, miana leaves, and spices such as shallots, garlic, lime leaves, lime, sugar, salt, thinly sliced ginger.

Illustration of pa'piong toraja cuisine (Source: Guideku)

So that the texture of the meat is more tender, marinate with lime juice. Then mixed with all the spices and miana leaves. After the young banana stems are cut into small pieces, sprinkle a little salt and then knead. When everything is ready, put it in a bamboo with a banana leaf base. Finally, roast it over the fire before it is ready to be enjoyed.