Lakpura® Kohila Dalu Leaves are the young, tender leaves of kohila, Lasia spinosa, a spiny evergreen plant of wet, muddy ground. Dalu means the new growth: the soft, pale green leaves picked as they unfurl, before the plant's prickles harden, and the part of the plant Sri Lankan cooks prize most for flavour.
The leaves come as a bunch of slender stalks topped with furled and half-open blades, bright green and glossy, with small prickles along the stalks. They are plucked and packed to order, so they reach you fresh rather than from a store.
In Sri Lanka kohila leaves are usually made into mallum. The leaves are finely shredded and tossed with fresh grated coconut, onion, chilli and a little turmeric, then cooked briefly until just wilted, and the dish is served alongside rice and curries. They are also sautéed with spices, and in some kitchens simmered into a hot stew with coconut milk.
Kohila has an earthy, green flavour. Cook the leaves rather than eating them raw, and shred them finely so they soften quickly in the pan. The same plant gives the kohila rhizome, sold as kohila ala, if you want to cook the leaves and the root together.
