Muringa ila Thoran/Drumstick leaves stir fry Kerala style

Welcome to the finale ! Today is the last show of the drumstick leaves .<- That's my husband -dancing and yelling at the top of his lungs ,"FINALLY"!!

Kandille,ee manushyandey oru kaaryam  ...Huhhhh :P ...Not to mention,my 3 days long affair with Moringa oleifera certainly irked him a lot.Before he would become violent and turn me silent,I had to finish this edible affair ASAP.

I can't blame him ,I do confess ,I did push honey P aside and grinned big at the very sight of  Moringa oleifera as if he was the prince charming of my dreams.An eligible edible doctor full of medicinal qualities !

Well,you know what I loved most about them here,these leaves were already plucked,neatly packed and ready to use ! Unlike in India, I remember the other strong reason why I hated these leaves,mom would delegate me the task of plucking those small leaves from not big but teeny weeny stems full of infinite leaves and de-stalk them carefully ,which would take time for ever. It was like a never ending finger exercise.Meanwhile,my clever mom would start boring me with stories with life lessons .What an idea mom g!! ..I named it drumstick torture !


It's amazing how a torture has now become a rare treasure here.However,these leaves do come with an expiry date.The sooner it is used ,more fresher it will be.So,that sums up my three days affair with Moringa oleifera.

The last recipe I made was Muringa ila thoran(in my mother tongue,Malyalam) aka drumstick leaves stir fry with coconut  mixture ,Kerala style.

So,here is how I make Muringa ila Thoran:

Muringa Ila Thoran

Ingredients

Drumstick leaves - 3 cups

Mixed beans(lima beans,pinto beans,peas,green gram mix)- 1/4 cup (Optional)

Shallots/Small onions,chopped - 1/2 cup

Green chillies ,chopped - 3-4 nos.

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Coconut,grated - 1 cup

Salt to taste

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1-2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Dry red chillies - 1-2 nos.

A sprig of curry leaves

Method:

• Soak the mixed beans overnight.Next day, pressure cook it with enough water (covering the beans) for one whistle or until cooked.Keep it aside.
• Wash and clean the drumstick leaves well ,drain and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan,splutter mustard seeds,followed by dry red chillies.
• Add the chopped shallots and green chillies ,stir well for a few minutes until the shallots become pink.(Low-medium flame)
• Now,lower the flame, add the curry leaves and drumstick leaves to it and saute for a minute with turmeric powder added to it.
• Cover the leaves with a lid and let the leaves get cooked well and tender.
• Remove the lid and add the grated coconut to it and salt to taste.
•  Muringa ila thoran is ready to serve hot with steaming rice and curry.

Note:

• Adding the boiled beans mix is quite optional but it certainly gives it a distinct flavor.Even any boiled lentil can be used instead,makes it more tastier.
• Leaves should not be wilted or with any discoloration and avoid any stems even if it is small as it can make the dish bitter and tasteless.

           

 In case you missed two other drumstick recipes - Drumstick leaves and potato stir fry and Drumstick leaves kerala curry

My dear Moringa oleifera ...sweet good bye for now ...Till we meet again..:P

Drumstick leaves and Potato stir fry

The biggest tree I remember from my childhood days back at my home in North India was this rough and tough ,"Drumstick tree".This tree was something,as if mom also fed it a jug of Horlicks or something,it grew leaps and bounds within no time and was quite fruitful.Not only us ,all our neighbors equally targeted it as a part of their balanced diet every now and then.Sometimes it was the drumstick/fruit,sometimes the flowers and sometimes the leaves.Poor tree sacrificed itself strongly,happily and willingly like a statue.Bechara,kaam ka bhoj ka maara !!Sigh !!

I really felt bad for this tree.I wished mom wouldn't at least attack this tree for my sake or say my excuse not to eat these leaves.I never liked it especially the leaves.The smell itself used to be such a big turn off.It made me feel nothing less than a cow /goat eating grass.And that "vomiting-expression on my face"made my mom really roar like a lioness.And the next thing we know ,she starts lecturing (like I do here ;P) about how nutritious these leaves are.I would simply run for my walkman then.

However,after coming to US after marriage,the mere thought of each and every item prepared by mom in the past made me utterly drooling and craving. There were hardly any food I hated anymore.The same thing happened with the drumstick leaves as well.

Infact,here it is quite rarely available.It is like once in a blue moon kinda vegetable here.I came across only once or twice in Indian store so far and whenever I did,I am sure every people in the store thought I was running to defuse a bomb or something.Poor honey P was like,OH NOOOO!..There she goes and I didn't see it.She is not with me people.

This summer was the second time,I bought bunch of fresh drumstick leaves and I couldn't wait further to cook different recipes and torture my kitchen .The first recipe that I prepared was Drumstick leaves and potato stir fry.Very simple side dish that can be enjoyed with hot plate of rice and curry or any roti,parantha etc.

Drumstick leaves and potato stir fry

Ingredients

Potato,small,diced - 4-5 nos

Drumstick leaves - 1 cup

Onion ,small,sliced-1 no.

Green chillies -1-2 nos.

Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon(optional)

Asafoetida- a pinch

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Red dry chilly ,broken-2

Curry leaves-4-5 nos

Salt to taste

Coconut oil - 1-2 tablespoons

Method :

• Wash the drumstick leaves well ,chop them and keep them aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai/pan,temper mustard seeds,cumin seeds,dry chillies and asafoetida.
• Add the sliced onions and green chillies and saute till onions turn translucent.
• Add curry leaves,saute,then add the potato cubes and the chopped drumstick leaves,saute them for a minute.
• Add turmeric powders,red chilly powders and Garam masala,stir well.
• Add a teaspoon of water,mix ,cover and cook on low flame until the potatoes are tender and drumstick leaves are cooked..
• Uncover it ,add a teaspoon of oil and salt to taste ,mix well and keep sauteing for a minute or two.
• Drumstick potato stir fry is ready.
• Serve it hot with plain rice and curry.

Note:

• Pluck drumstick leaves that look fresh not wilted or discolored otherwise it will taste quite bitter and discard the stalks.

 

The addition of potato definitely made this dish more yummy.It was like potato recommending me indirectly,look now ,how tasty drumsticks are,you'll love it :P.But jokes apart,I agree,I so under estimated the goodness of these humble tree .I am not a fan yet but I don't hate it either. How about you?

Eat,love,live DELICIOUSLY,