Katuray (Sesbania Grandiflora)

The thing with funerals is that it brings many relatives whom you have not seen for ages--- aunts, uncles, and cousins. Then you meet new faces of nephews and nieces you would otherwise not see if not for the wake. So it is a bittersweet reunion brought together by a death in the family. Updates of what's going on with our lives, reminiscences of the past were shared, gifts were exchanged, and laughter pealed.

Of the many gifts exchanged and offered, the lowly bag of the beautiful and humble katuray flowers were my favorite as well as the bag of sampaloc. I have not seen katuray in a long time...and in fact I forgot how katuray flowers taste. So we talked about what to do with them (steamed for salad or sauteed with butter and garlic).

fresh katuray flowers

steamed katuray flowers dipped in vinegar and anchovy sauce vinaigrette

Katuray blooms  from Corkwood tree also called Scarlett Wisteria tree and Vegetable Hummingbird tree are edible and come in different shades of white or red. They are said to belong to the legume family (Fabacea). The roots and the leaves of this katuray tree are also used for medicinal purposes. The flowers are excellent source of calcium, traces of iron and vitamin B. They are also considered as  cancer inhibitor. 

I was happy to rediscover this floral salad. It has some crunch and a  little bitterness to it. Katuray flowers are fun to eat. I hope to have more of this in the future.