Moringa Leaves Stir Fry

Funny thing about moringa leaves : where available, they grow like weeds – falling off their trees onto the pavements, attractively stacked in enormous bundles on vegetable vendors’ carts. Otherwise, they are an exotic rarity, mostly to be found as capsuled supplements. I am lucky to find fresh moringa leaves (also called drumstick leaves or sahjan ki patti in Hindi) off and on in my neighborhood – this is a simple stir fry I usually make with them.

Moringa leaves stir fry is best served on the side with rice and dal. The leaves are rather bitter on their own; I add plenty of fresh grated coconut to soften the bitterness. Feel free to adjust the quantities to your liking.

PS: In case you are wondering what moringa is, and why it’s called drumstick, check out this post on potato drumstick curry for an introduction to the plant.

You Need:

• Moringa leaves – 2 cups
• Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
• Salt – to taste
• Green chilies – 3 (adjust to taste)
• Onion – 1 small
• Garlic – 5 cloves
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Peanut oil – 2 teaspoons

In the picture above (clockwise from left): moringa leaves, green chilies, garlic cloves, onion, grated coconut.

How To Make Moringa Leaves Stir Fry:

1. Prep the veggies

Pluck the moringa leaves off their stems – use only the leaves and discard the stems.

Wash the leaves very well. I place them in a large strainer and run tap water over them, firmly rubbing them under the water till all the dirt and debris have been washed away. Set the strainer with the moringa leaves aside to let the water drip away.

Slice the garlic finely.

Peel and chop the onion.

Slit the green chilies diagonally into strips.

2. Cook

Heat two teaspoons of peanut oil in a pan or kadhai.

When the oil is hot, add to it mustard seeds. When the seeds pop, add sliced garlic and onions.

Stir around till the garlic is slightly golden. Add slit green chilies, stir fry for another minute.

Add the washed and drained moringa leaves to the pan.

Sprinkle salt to taste, and mix well. (Careful here – the leaves shrink, so you need to be judicious in the amount of salt to add or the dish turns too salty.)

Cook covered till the moringa leaves have wilted and softened. The leaves will cook in their own juices, but if the pan looks too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water while it cooks.

After about 12-14 minutes, the leaves would be done: the water would have evaporated and the color would be a rich deep green.

At this stage, add grated coconut.

Mix well and turn off the heat. Let the pan stand covered for another five minutes.

Moring leaves stir fry / drumstick leaves stir fry is ready.

Meal below: rice, raw mango salsa, toor dal with ghee tadka, moringa leaves stir fry, potato pumpkin curry.

Notes:

Want to try recipes that use the moringa pod? Check out sahjan ajwaini, aloo sahjan with lime and mustard, drumstick raita in chili yogurt. 

Offbeat leafy greens interest you? Check out fresh fenugreek and cauliflower curry, dal with amaranth leaves and gooseberries, bathua ka raita.