Culinary In
Burmese cuisine, raw pennywort is used as the main constituent in a
salad mixed with onions, crushed peanuts, bean powder and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce. Centella is used as a leafy green in
Sri Lankan cuisine, being the predominantly locally available leafy green, where it is called or . It is most often prepared as , a traditional accompaniment to
rice and vegetarian dishes, such as lentils, and
jackfruit or
pumpkin curry. It is considered nutritious. In addition to finely chopped plants, the may be eaten with grated
coconut, diced
shallots,
lime (or
lemon) juice, and sea salt. Additional ingredients are finely chopped green
chilis,
chili powder,
turmeric powder, or chopped
carrots. The
Centella fruit-bearing structures are discarded from the due to their intense bitter taste. A variation of
porridge known as
kola kanda is also made with in Sri Lanka. or is made with well-boiled red rice with some extra liquid,
coconut milk first extract, and
purée. The porridge is accompanied with
jaggery for sweetness.
Centella leaves are also used in modern sweet pennywort drinks and herbal teas. In addition the leaves are served stir-fried whole in coconut oil, or cooked in coconut milk with garlic or . In
Indonesia, the leaves are used for
sambai oi peuga-ga, an
Aceh type of salad, and is also mixed into
asinan in
Bogor. In
Cambodia,
Vietnam and
Thailand, this leaf is used for preparing a drink or can be eaten in raw form in salads or
cold rolls. In Bangkok, vendors in the
Chatuchak Weekend Market sell it alongside coconut,
roselle,
chrysanthemum, orange and other health drinks. In
Malay cuisine it is known as pegaga, and the leaves of this plant are used for
ulam, a type of vegetable salad. and minor wounds,
Contact dermatitis and skin irritation can result from
topical application. ==Adverse effects==