Drumstick Raita: Moringa Pods in Chili Yogurt

Boiled drumstick (moringa pods, or sahjan in Hindi) swathed in a chili yogurt base for an unusual drumstick raita. With very few add-on flavors, this recipe lets the drumstick shine.

If you aren’t familiar with the vegetable drumstick and all its wonders, read the intro in the potato drumstick curry recipe.

You Need:

• Plain yogurt – 2 cups
• Drumstick – 2
• Green chilies – 4 (adjust to taste)
• Coriander leaves – a few sprigs
• Salt – 1/3 teaspoon (adjust to taste)

For tadka:

• Curry leaves – 6
• Urad dal – 1 teaspoon
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida powder – a pinch
• Oil – 1 teaspoon

How To Make Drumstick Raita:

Boil the drumstick:

Peel and cut the drumstick into 1.5 inch pieces.

Put the drumstick pieces in a pan with a cup of salted water. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for ten minutes or till the drumstick pieces are very soft.

Let the boiled drumstick cool to room temperature.

Chili-up the yogurt:

Crush green chilies and coriander leaves in a mortar or grinder. Add the crushed chilies and coriander to yogurt.

Whisk the yogurt along with the crushed green chilies and coriander.

Mix the cooled boiled drumstick with the chili yogurt. [Don’t discard the water used for boiling – mix it with the yogurt too for a lighter raita consistency or use it to thin out curries.]

Do the tadka:

In the picture above (clockwise from top-left): curry leaves, urad dal, mustard seeds, asafoetida powder.

In a tadka ladle, heat a teaspoon of oil. Set the heat to low. Add to the ladle in quick succession, mustard seeds, asafoetida powder, urad dal. Stir around for a few seconds till the urad dal turns golden. Add curry leaves and switch off the heat.

Pour the tadka over the chili drumstick yogurt mixture.

Mix well. Drumstick raita (sahjan raita) is ready. Let the raita stand for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend.

Drumstick raita pairs well with podi rice or south Indian style pulao. You could also serve it on the side with a bigger meal: rice/chapatis, dal, curry.

Meal in the pic below: kashmiri saag, drumstick raita, khatti meethi masoor dal with chapatis.