Herbal and Wellness
Hathawariya Powder (Wild Asparagus Root)
Hathawariya root, dried and milled, one of the oldest herbs on the Sri Lankan shelf.
- Made from the tuberous root, not the leaf or stem
- Pale cream colour, mild and faintly sweet
- The traditional base for hathawariya kenda
- Washed, sliced and dried before milling
- One ingredient, sieved fine
Available to pre-orderSKU: CC-HTW-PWD
Size: 100g
- Carefully packed and shipped to your door
- 14-day replacement on damaged items
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Description
Hathawariya (Asparagus racemosus), the climbing wild asparagus whose tuberous roots are dried and ground into a pale, faintly sweet powder. It is best known in Sri Lanka as the base of hathawariya kenda, a herbal porridge cooked with red rice and coconut milk.
Hathawariya grows as a thorny climber through scrub and hedgerows, and the part that matters is underground: a cluster of finger-shaped tubers that get dug, washed, sliced and dried.
The powder is nothing like the green leaf herbs it sits next to. It is pale cream rather than green, and the taste is mild and slightly sweet with a starchy edge, closer to a root than a leaf. That is why it goes into porridge so well and into a plain cup of hot water so badly.
It has been on the island's herbal shelf for a very long time, mostly as a strengthening food given to new mothers and to anybody recovering from illness. We sell it as the traditional food it is, and we will not pretend it does more than that.
How to Use
- Cook into hathawariya kenda with red rice and coconut milk
- Whisk a teaspoon into warm milk before bed
- Blend into a date and coconut smoothie
- Stir into a rice congee for a mild, starchy sweetness
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Frequently Asked
Wild asparagus. Its botanical name is Asparagus racemosus, and across South Asia it is widely known as shatavari. All three names refer to the same climbing plant, and the powder is made from its roots.
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