Agathi Keerai Benefits and How to Cook Leaves and Flowers

Agathi keerai (Agathi leaves, Agasta or Hadga in Marathi, Bok Phool in Bengali) comes from the fast-growing hummingbird tree, and the trick to enjoying it is simple: cook the leaves with coconut and a little dal to tame their bitterness, and pull the bitter inner stalk out of the flowers before you fry them. This guide covers agathi keerai benefits, buying, cleaning, cooking, nutrition, the old traditions and who should go easy.

In brief

Plant: Sesbania grandiflora, the hummingbird tree or vegetable hummingbird.
Eaten parts: young leaves, white or red flowers, tender pods.
Taste: leaves are grassy and bitter; flowers are mild and slightly sweet.
Best dishes: agathi keerai poriyal, kootu, flower pakoras and bhaji.
Where to buy: Tamil, Kerala, Sri Lankan and Bengali markets; rare in Pakistan.

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What is agathi, and why is it called the hummingbird tree?

It’s a small, soft-wooded tree that shoots up in a year or two. The flowers are large, curved like a bird’s beak, and hang in clusters, which is where the English name comes from. In its native South and Southeast Asia, nectar birds visit them.

The leaves look like a fern: one long stalk with 20 to 40 small, oval leaflets in pairs. In Sri Lanka it’s kathurumurunga, and in Thailand the flowers go into curries and soups.

Don’t confuse it with sohanjna (moringa). Both have small, paired leaflets and are sold as “keerai” bunches, but moringa leaflets are tiny and rounder, and its flowers are small and creamy. Our sohanjna pods and phool guide covers that tree.

How to buy fresh agathi keerai

Look: pick bunches with bright, even green leaflets. Yellowing or dropping leaflets mean it’s 2 to 3 days old.
Shake: gently shake the bunch. Fresh leaflets stay on; stale ones rain down.
Stems: the main stalks should snap, not bend limply.
Flowers: buy firm, unopened or just-opened buds, white or red. Brown edges mean they’re past it.
Smell: a clean, green smell. Sour or musty means skip.

Season: the tree flowers on and off through the year in warm places, most heavily in the cooler months from about October to February. Leaves are around year-round in South India.

Cleaning and preparing the leaves and flowers

Leaves

Strip the leaflets off the stalks by running your fingers down from tip to base. Discard the stalks; they’re tough.
Wash in a big bowl of water, lifting the leaves out so grit stays behind. Repeat twice, then rinse under running water.
Drain well. Chop roughly or leave whole.

Flowers

Peel back the green calyx (the cup at the base) and pull out the central stalk with the pollen-tipped threads (the stamens and pistil). This part is the most bitter.
Rinse the petals gently and pat dry.

Why is agathi bitter, and how do you tame it?

The leaves carry natural bitter compounds, like many dark greens. Grandmothers’ tricks work for a reason:

Fat: coconut or a little oil softens bitterness on your tongue.
Protein and starch: moong or toor dal spreads the bitterness out.
Salt and a pinch of jaggery: both mask bitter taste.
Young leaves: the top, pale-green shoots are much milder than old, dark leaves.

Recipes: three ways to cook agathi

Agathi keerai poriyal (Tamil stir-fry)

Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal and 1 dried red chilli; let the mustard pop.
Add 1 small chopped onion and cook 2 minutes.
Add 2 packed cups (about 100 g) cleaned leaves and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring once.
Stir in 3 tbsp grated coconut, cook 1 minute, and serve with rice. Serves 2.

Agathi flower pakoras (Maharashtrian hadga bhaji style)

Mix 4 tbsp besan, 1 tbsp rice flour, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/2 tsp red chilli and salt with about 4 tbsp water into a thick batter.
Dip 12 to 15 cleaned flowers and deep-fry in oil at about 170 °C for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp.
Drain on paper and eat hot.

Agathi keerai kootu

Cook 1/4 cup moong dal until soft. Add 1 1/2 cups chopped leaves, salt and a pinch of haldi, and simmer 8 minutes. Grind 3 tbsp coconut with 1/2 tsp jeera and 1 green chilli, stir in, simmer 2 minutes, and finish with a mustard and curry-leaf tadka.

What agathi does for you, honestly

Like most dark leafy greens, agathi leaves are a good source of carotenoids (which the body turns into vitamin A), vitamin C, folate, calcium and fibre, with some iron and plant protein. They’re very low in calories. Flowers are mostly water, with a little fibre.

Fair claim: a cup of cooked agathi adds real nutrition to a rice-and-dal plate, especially vitamin A and calcium.
Hype: online lists that call it a “superfood” for every disease. It’s a good leafy green, not a medicine.
Honest note on iron: plant iron is absorbed less well than iron from meat. Squeeze lemon on the plate or eat a guava after to help.

In Tamil and Siddha homes: the traditional view

What elders did

Many Tamil families cook agathi keerai on Dwadashi, the day after the Ekadashi fast, as a light, cooling first meal. Siddha and Ayurvedic tradition call it cooling and bitter, used for heat in the body, mouth ulcers and as a mild laxative. A well-known Siddha saying warns that agathi can weaken other medicines, so traditional healers advise not eating it while taking them. It was also a fodder tree; the leaves feed goats and cattle.

Our take: eating it after a fast makes sense because it’s light and fibrous. The cooling and mouth ulcer ideas are tradition. The medicine warning isn’t tested, but it’s a cautious habit: if you take regular medicines, keep your greens steady and tell your doctor about big diet changes.

Myth: agathi must be eaten only once a week or it poisons you

Not true as stated. The real point inside the old rule: agathi is fibrous and bitter, and large amounts every day can loosen the stomach and cause gas. Variety is wise. Eating it a few times a week as a normal side dish is fine for most healthy people.

Surprising facts

A hummingbird tree can grow several metres in its first year, which is why farmers plant it as a living fence and shade for betel vines.
The flowers come in two colours, white and red, and both are eaten; red ones are a little more astringent.
The tree adds nitrogen to the soil through bacteria in its roots, like peas and beans do.

How to store agathi so it lasts

Wrap unwashed bunches in a dry cloth or paper, put them in a bag, and keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Flowers last only a day or two; cook them quickly.
To freeze, blanch stripped leaves in boiling water for 1 minute, cool in cold water, squeeze, and freeze flat in a bag for up to 2 months.
Don’t wash before storing. Wet leaves rot faster.

Who should limit it

If you take warfarin, keep the amount of leafy greens you eat steady week to week, because their vitamin K affects the medicine; talk to your doctor before big changes. People prone to kidney stones or on a low-potassium diet for kidney disease should ask their doctor how much leafy green is right. Pregnant women can eat it cooked as food; skip leaf juices and powders sold as remedies. For babies starting solids after 6 months, a little well-cooked, mashed leaf in dal is fine, with no added salt under 1 year. Stop if you get a rash, itching or swelling of the lips after eating it. Wash well, since market greens carry soil and sometimes pesticide residue.

Find more cooking guides in Fruits & Vegetables, and see our moringa seeds guide for another tree that feeds South Asian kitchens.

Agathi keerai questions people ask

What is agathi keerai in English?

It’s the leaves of the hummingbird tree, Sesbania grandiflora, sometimes sold as “vegetable hummingbird” or “agati”. In Hindi it’s agast, in Marathi hadga or agasta, and in Bengali bok phool for the flowers.

How do you remove the bitterness from agathi keerai?

Use young leaves, cook them with coconut and dal, and add salt and a tiny pinch of jaggery. For flowers, pull out the central stalk and stamens before cooking; that’s the most bitter part.

Agathi keerai benefits kya hain?

It’s a nutritious leafy green with vitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, folate, calcium and fibre. It’s light, low in calories and fits easily into rice and dal meals. Medicinal claims are tradition.

Can we eat agathi keerai every day?

A small serving most days is fine for healthy people, but large daily amounts can cause gas or loose stools. Rotating it with other greens is better for variety too.

Why is agathi keerai eaten on Dwadashi?

It’s a Tamil tradition to break the Ekadashi fast with light foods, and agathi is seen as cooling and easy on the stomach. It’s a cultural and digestive habit rather than a medical rule.

Can pregnant women eat agathi keerai?

Yes, cooked as a normal vegetable. Avoid concentrated juices, powders or remedies made from it in pregnancy unless your doctor says yes.

Is agathi keerai good for diabetes?

Like most leafy greens, it’s low in sugar and adds fibre, so it fits a diabetes plate. It won’t replace medicine or lower sugar on its own.

Can agathi keerai be eaten with medicines?

Siddha tradition says to avoid it while taking medicines, though that isn’t tested. If you take warfarin, keep green intake steady. For any regular medicine, ask your doctor if you plan to eat a lot of it.

Are agathi flowers edible?

Yes. Both white and red flowers are eaten fried, in curries and in bhaji. Remove the green cup and the central stalk first.

Can babies eat agathi keerai?

After 6 months, a little well-cooked, mashed leaf mixed into dal or khichdi is fine. Add no salt or sugar under 1 year, and start with a small amount to check it suits them.

Where can I buy agathi keerai?

In South Indian, Sri Lankan and Bengali markets and Indian grocery stores abroad. In Pakistan it’s rare; some nurseries sell the tree, which grows easily in Karachi’s climate.