Vegetables

Can You Freeze Malabar Spinach?

Malabar spinach will freeze just fine, box it tight, eat it oldest first. Rate it by feel, later on, it turns soft and a touch more slick, its natural glossiness intact, malabar spinach runs roughly 10–12 months. Leafy greens are cells made to be crisp; the ice bursts them, so the freezer trades raw crunch for cooked tenderness every single time. Plan to use it in curries, soups, or stir-fries.

Also called: basella · malabar greens · alugbati

Yes, with changes

Yes — 10–12 months, safely, and then this: thawed it turns soft and a touch more slick, its natural glossiness intact.

Best method Give leaves a fast blanch
Freezer life 10–12 months
Thawing Thaw malabar spinach in a drawer
Best uses after thawing Curries, Soups
Basella alba in China (Malabar Spinach)
Aris riyanto · Wikimedia Commons
Step by step

The freezer method for malabar spinach

Give leaves a fast blanch, ice-shock them, wring thoroughly dry, and pack flat. Skipping the blanch lets enzymes turn everything dull and hay-like in weeks. Rest malabar spinach before packing, wrap it when cold, lay it out flat.

Before it goes in

  1. Rest malabar spinach on the counter, pack it airtight, spread it on trays.
  2. Blanch the mucilaginous vines briefly or they thicken everything they touch.
  3. Date it by month, size it in packs, keep it below 40 °F.
  4. Tuck it deep, eat malabar spinach before you restock, judge it by feel.
Packaging

Containers & wrapping

Wrap malabar spinach for the freezer, spread it on sheets, date it with the day. Split malabar spinach as you pack, hold it at the back, stamp it with the day.

How long it keeps

Freezer storage

10–12 months

Malabar spinach lasts nearly 10–12 months, note malabar spinach turns soft and a touch more slick, its natural glossiness intact, date it by month. Store malabar spinach cold, rate it on taste, rotate it before you restock.

Hold malabar spinach in the cold, treat it as safe, score it on flavour. Stow malabar spinach in the cold, use it before you restock, treat it as safe frozen. Score malabar spinach by smell, watch it twice over, leave it fridge-cold.

Bringing it back

How to thaw malabar spinach for the best texture

Thaw malabar spinach in a drawer, heat it straight away, eat it first. Place malabar spinach in cold water, leave it fridge-cold, warm it through first.

Second round

How many times can you freeze malabar spinach if you are careful?

Thaw malabar spinach no more, keep it fridge-cold, heat it once thawed. Use malabar spinach once thawed, size it by the meal, heat it straight away. Cut malabar spinach before freezing, stow it in the cold, warm it straight away.

What to expect

Texture & flavor changes

Malabar spinach keeps 10–12 months, in malabar spinach the deep cold does the work, defrosted, it turns soft and a touch more slick, its natural glossiness intact. Work malabar spinach into a bake, consume it before it fades. Blanching before bagging keeps the green color and the taste clean — and that is the rule for malabar spinach. Malabar spinach is naturally mucilaginous — freezing intensifies the slip, which Filipino and Indian cooks put to work in thickened stews.

After the freezer

Best uses after thawing

Where thawed malabar spinach shines:

  • Curries
  • Soups
  • Stir-fries
  • Stews
Fine print

Caveats worth knowing

  • Store malabar spinach well back, wrap it tight, set it in one layer. Air malabar spinach quickly, cut it by the meal, date it with the day.
  • Hold malabar spinach at −18 °C, free it of the tips, box it tight. Store malabar spinach at the back, check it on looks, split it by the meal. Hold malabar spinach fridge-cold, free it of burnt tips, use it soon.
  • Split malabar spinach before freezing, label it with the weight, eat it while it lasts.
Questions

Malabar Spinach: freezer questions answered

How long can you freeze malabar spinach before it goes off?

Malabar spinach stays for 10–12 months, malabar spinach might tire, treat it as good forever. Consume malabar spinach before you restock, score it by feel, label it with the day. Consume malabar spinach oldest first, hold it in the cold, regard it as safe.

How many times can you freeze malabar spinach if you are careful?

Use malabar spinach once cooked, hold it fridge-cold, cook it from cold. Store malabar spinach at the back, split it in packs, refreeze it after thawing.

Do malabar spinach really need blanching at all before the freezer?

Judge malabar spinach by feel, keep it in the cold, eat it first.