Moringa: The versatile drumstick food tree
A stately flowering tree across the road from my house suddenly had a branch fall. Passers by started flocking around taking away the tree’s fruit – long, drumsticks! Some even grabbed the Moringa leaves and I made a beeline for the flowers. The tiny white delicate flowers are edible and have a slightly sweetish taste with a hint of fragrance.
Drumsticks
The ovalish fragile leaves are tangy. While the drumsticks are known for their medicinal properties. The moringa is known as a superfood.
The drumsticks can be slender or grow up to a thickness of 1 inch which makes them so heavy making the trees branch collapse.
Popular dishes made with drumsticks include sambhar, avial and drumstick curry.
Here are some of the dishes I made with the versatile moringa.
1. Moringa and Tendli: Moringa leaves make a beautiful dish when combined with the ivy gourd known as tendli. I used the white flowers of the Moringa for garnishing. Isn’t it beautiful?
2. Moringa Podi: This dry chutney is made with Moringa leaves, garlic, lentils and red chillies. It can be sprinkled on your flatbread /dosa or mixed with coconut oil and had like a chutney. Simply divine.
