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. 

Mix everything well and turn off the gas stove.

(10) Moringa / Drumstick leaves stir fry is ready.

(11) Transfer the sabji to a serving bowl.

(12) Moringa leaves stir fry can be had as a side dish with rice dal or along with chapatis / phulkas.

Lal Saag Sabji / Red Spinach Stir Fry

Red Spinach is one of the edible leaves available in the market. It is worthy to include it in one’s diet and is surprisingly easy to cook. 

Another reason being that it is highly nutritious being a good source of Vitamin C and A, iron and essential minerals besides being low in calories. To prevent the loss of nutrients, we never overcook it.

Slightly acerbic and crunchy when raw, once cooked it softens and leaves a mild earthy taste in one’s mouth.

Red Spinach is known as Chauli in Hindi, Chinese Spinach in Chinese, Thotakura in Telugu, Cheera in Malayalam, Dantina Soppu in Kannada, Maath in Marathi, Bhajji in Konkani, Lal Sak in Bengali and so on.

Lal Saag / Red Spinach

Given how well this Stir fry / Sabji turned out, I know this Sabji is going to be a regular dish in my house. 

My mother taught me how to cut these leaves so well as shown further in the video.

INGREDIENTS :

(1) 1 bunch of Red Spinach / Lal Saag

(2) 2 medium sized Onions, finely chopped

(3) 1 large Tomato, finely chopped

(4) 2 chopped green chillies

(5) 1/4 teaspoon of Turmeric powder / Haldi

(6) 1 teaspoon of Coriander powder / Dhaniya powder

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

(8) Salt as per taste required

(9) Cooking oil

(10) Water for cooking

Cuisine : Indian

Serves - 3-4 persons

Time : 30 minutes

Chopped Lal Saag leaves

Onions and Tomato

METHOD :

(1) Wash the Spinach well to remove the dirt away from the leaves. Chop away the roots / thick stems. Chop the tender stems and Spinach leaves.

Here is the video showing how to chop the Lal Saag.

(2) In a Kadhai / Wok heat 2 tablespoons of Mustard oil. When hot, add chopped Onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes till they turn golden brown in colour.

(3) Add chopped Tomatoes and sauté till they turn mushy.

(4) Add Turmeric powder, Coriander powder and Cumin powder in measures given in the ingredients list.

(5) Add chopped green chillies and sauté for a minute.

(6) Add chopped Red Spinach.

(7) Mix well with the Onion Tomato mixture.

(8) Add salt as per taste required and mix well again.

(9) Add a 1/2  glass of water and mix well again. We added less water as red spinach itself will also release some water.

(10) Saute and allow to cook until all the water evaporates and the Sabji becomes dry. This will take about 5 minutes.

(11) Lal Saag / Red Spinach is ready to eat.

(12) Transfer it from the kadhai to a serving bowl.

(13) Serve it as side dish with chapatis or with rice dal combo.