Avantika's Kitchen Delights: Moringa / Drumsticks leaves stir fry

Moringa leaves are the leaves of the common Drumstick tree, yes the drumsticks that we use in Sambar. I never had clue that these Drumstick / Moringa leaves are edible until my mother

recently introduced me this recipe. These leaves can be cooked in many ways. I chose to make a stir fry of it, but that causes the leaves to become less in quantity once cooked. That is why,

I cooked it along with Potatoes to increase the quantity of the resulting sabji.

Moringa leaves are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. So it is recommended in the regular diet to derive the health benefits it offers.

Moringa / Drumsticks leaves

Washed and cleaned Moringa leaves

INGREDIENTS :

(1) 4 cups of chopped Moringa leaves

(2) 2 medium sized Onions, finely chopped

(3) 1 large Tomato, finely chopped

(4) 3-4 green Chillies, chopped

(5) 2 medium sized Potatoes, chopped into bite sized cubes

(6) 1 teaspoon of Coriander / Dhaniya powder

(7) 3/4 teaspoon of Cumin / Jeera powder

(8) 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric / Haldi powder

(9) Salt as per taste required

(10) 4 tablespoon of Mustard oil

(11) Water for cooking

Cuisine : Indian

Serves : 3-4 persons

Time : 20 minutes for preparation and

20 minutes for cooking = 40 minutes

PREPARATION :

(1) Pluck Moringa leaves off the stems. Here we use only the leaves and discard the stems. Then takes these leaves in a large strainer and run tap water over them. Gently rub the leaves under the water so that the dirt and debris get washed away. Then set the strainer with the leaves aside to let the water drip away.

Washed Moringa leaves

Then chop the leaves as shown in the video.

(2) Chop the Onions, Tomatoes and green Chillies finely.

(3) Chop the Potatoes into bite sized cubes.

METHOD :

(1) Heat 4 tablespoon of Mustard oil in a kadhai / wok.

(2) When the oil is warm, add chopped Onions and sauté for 4 minutes till they are golden brown in colour.

(3) Then add chopped Tomatoes and sauté till they are mushy.

(4) Add Turmeric powder, Coriander powder and Cumin powder. Mix well.

(5) Add chopped green chillies and mix well. Stir fry for another minute.

(6) Now add the chopped Moringa leaves.

(7) Add the chopped Potatoes too. Mix everything gently.

(8) Sprinkle salt to taste and mix well.

Add salt carefully as if the leaves tend to shrink and become less once cooked.

(9) Cover with a lid and cook until the Moringa leaves have softened. The leaves will release water and so no need to add water as such. In case the kadhai dries up, then you may add 3-4 table spoon of water and prevent it from drying and sticking to the kadhai.

After about 12 minutes, the leaves would be cooked. The water would have evaporated and the colour of the sabji would be rich deep green.