DRUMSTICK LEAVES KUZHAMBU

 DRUMSTICK LEAVES KUZHAMBU

Drumsticks or Moringa as they are also called, have numerous health benefits too. Apart from drumsticks, their leaves ( also known as Moringa Leaves) are considered to be super healthy. 

It can do you a lot of good in many ways as detailed in this article from PharmEasy. "Moringa Leaves- 16 Health Benefits You Should Know".

Today's recipe is from Tamilnadu and is for a dish made with Drumstick Leaves called, "Murungai Keerai" in Tamil. Drumstick leaves which are prized for their medicinal properties are called "Nugge Soppu" in Kannada and "Mashinga Palle" in my mother tongue, Konkani.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find  recipes for dishes made with drumstick leaves, such as:

•  Mashinga Palle Sanna Polo 
• Nugge Soppina Rotti.

I have adapted this from Murungai Keerai Kuzhambu from the YouTube video in Tamil in Subbu's Kitchen.

We very much enjoyed this dish with hot steamed rice and pappadams for lunch. 

Ingredients:- 

• Drumstick Leaves (Murungai Keerai), 2 cups , tightly packed
• Tamarind, lemon sized, 1
• Toor Dal, 1/3 cup
• Shallots ( Small Onions), 1 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp + 1/4 tsp 
• Salt, to taste

Roast & Grind for the Masala:- -

• Byadgi Red Chillies, 8
• Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/3 cup
• Raw Rice, 2 tsp
• Oil, 1 tsp

For Seasoning :-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry leaves, a few
• Coconut Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Remove the drumstick leaves from their stems to yield about 2 tightly packed cups

Wash the drumstick leaves thoroughly in several changes of water. Keep aside

Soak the tamarind in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes, then extract the tamarind juice. 

Soak 2 tsp raw rice in a little water for about 10 minutes

Peel the shallots

Wash and pressure cook the toor dal with 1 cup of water, adding a little turmeric powder,  for 4-5 whistles or till the dal gets full cooked

Once the cooker cools, remove the dal - mash it and keep aside 

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat roast the Byadgi red chillies and the fenugreek seeds till the fenugreek seeds turn golden and the chillies become crisp

Transfer this to a small mixer jar, add the coconut gratings, and the soaked raw rice and grind to a smooth paste adding water as required. Keep aside

Heat 2 tsp coconut oil in the same kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

To this add the peeled shallots and saute them till they turn translucent

Add the drumstick leaves and saute on high flame for about 2 minutes

Add 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, mix well cook till the drumstick leaves become soft

Now add the tamarind juice and salt to taste and let it boil for 5 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind goes

Add the mashed toor dal and the freshly ground paste and mix well 

Adjust the consistency of the Kuzhambu by adding water, if required

Check for salt and add if required

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes

Switch off the gas and transfer to a serving bowl

Serve Drumstick Leaves Kuzhambu with hot steamed rice and pappadam

DRUMSTICK LEAVES CURRY

 DRUMSTICK LEAVES CURRY

In case you didn't know, drumstick leaves ( also known as Moringa Leaves) are considered to be super healthy. It can do you a lot of good in many ways as detailed in this article from PharmEasy. "Moringa Leaves- 16 Health Benefits You Should Know".

Decades ago almost every house in Bengaluru used to have a drumstick tree in their back yard. In my parents house we had one such tree so I have been used to dishes made with drumsticks and drumstick leaves since childhood. These days of course things are very different. Yet, if you can get hold of drumstick leaves, please do use them as often as you can. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with drumstick leaves such as:-

• Murungai Keerai Poricha Kuzhambu from Tamilnadu
• Mashinga Palle Sanna Polo from our Konkani cuisine
• Nugge Soppina Rotti from Karnataka

Today's recipe is for a curry made with these health-filled drumstick leaves. I prefer to make this rather thick so that we can enjoy them with hot chapatis but you can adjust the consistency and make it more gravy- like to have with hot steamed rice. 

Do give it a try and let me know what you thought of this dish. 

Ingredients:-

• Drumstick/ Moringa Leaves, 2 cups
• Green Gram (Moong) Dal, 1/3 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Medium-sized Onion, 1
• Medium-sized Tomato, 1
• Salt, to taste

To Be Ground To A Paste:-

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/3 cup
• Green Chillies, 2
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Blackgram (Split Urad) Dal, 2 tsp
• Oil, 2 -3 tsp

Method:-

Remove the drumstick leaves from their stems 

Discard the stems -retaining only the very tender and small ones

Wash and chop the drumstick leaves. Keep aside

Finely chop the onion, chop the tomato and green chillies

Wash the moong dal and pressure cook in adequate water adding a little turmeric powder, for 3-4 whistles

Once the cooker cools, remove the cooked dal and mash it with the back of a ladle. Keep aside

In a small mixer jar, grind together fresh coconut gratings, chopped green chillies and cumin seeds to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water. Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

When they splutter add the urad dal  and broken red chilli and sauté till the dal changes colour

To this add the finely chopped onion and sauté till they turn translucent

Next add the chopped tomato and a little salt and turmeric powder and sauté till the tomato becomes soft and mushy 

When the tomato is cooked add the chopped drumstick leaves, mix well and add a little water

Cook the drumstick leaves on medium heat stirring from time to time

Do not cover this while cooking

Once the drumstick leaves are cooked, add the mashed dal and the ground paste prepared earlier

Mix well and add salt to taste

Add water as required to get the desired consistency

Cook for another 2-3 minutes

Switch off the gas and transfer the Drumsticks Leaves Curry to a serving bowl

Serve with rice, chapati, etc   

MURUNGAI KEERAI PORICHA KUZHAMBU

MURUNGAI KEERAI PORICHA KEZHAMBU

I hope you are keeping safe wherever you are. The coronavirus is wreaking havoc all over the world. Like millions of others, with the lockdown in place, we have been voluntarily staying at home. Stay home, stay safe!

We bloggers always like to have a pipeline of dishes to ensure a flow. They come in handy when we have to skip making a new dish for whatever reason. Today's post therefore is of a dish that I made several weeks ago and has been retrieved from this pipeline!

I make a number of dishes using drumsticks, which as you would know are called : Mashingasaang in my mother tongue, Konkani; Shevgyacha Shenga in Marathi, Sahajan in Hindi, Murungakkai in Tamil, and Nuggekkai in Kannada.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Potato & Drumsticks Upkari, and Magge Mashingasaang Koddel, which are popular dishes in our GSB Konkani cuisine and Shevgyachya Shenganche Pithla from Maharashtrian cuisine.

We also make dishes using drumstick leaves which are called Murungai Keerai in Tamil, Mashinga Palle in Konkani and Nugge Soppu in Kannada.

I have recipes with drumstick leaves in this blog such as Mashinga Palle Sanna Polo and Nugge Soppina Rotti.

Drumsticks or Moringa as they are also called, have numerous health benefits too.

Today's recipe is for a side dish from Tamilnadu cuisine and has been adapted from Murungai Keerai Poricha Kuzhambu by Subbu's Kitchen.

We had this for lunch with steamed rice and it tasted great!

Ingredients:-

• Murungai Keerai (Drumstick Leaves), 2 cups tightly packed
• Toor Dal ( Split Pigeon Peas) , 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 3 tsp ( 1 tsp for roasting + 1 tsp for sautéing + 1 tsp for seasoning )

Grind Together To A Paste:-

• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3 ( to be roasted) 
• Peppercorns, 1 tsp ( to be roasted) 
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Raw Rice, 2 tsp ( soaked) 

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Urad ( Black Gram) Dal, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig

Method:-

Wash and pressure cook 1/2 a cup of toor dal with a pinch of turmeric powder in adequate water for 3-4 whistles
Allow the cooker to cool and remove the cooked dal. Mash the cooked dal and keep aside
Soak the raw rice in water for about 10 minutes
Remove the drumstick leaves from their stems, wash and chop them
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and on medium heat roast the Byadgi Red Chillies and the peppercorns
In a small mixer jar, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, roasted red chillies, peppercorns, cumin seeds along with the soaked rice to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water
In a thick bottomed kadhai heat 1 tsp of oil and on medium heat add the drumstick leaves and a little turmeric powder and sauté for 1 minute
Add 1 cup of water and cook for about 5 minutes
To this add the cooked and mashed door dal and the ground paste and mix well
Add water as required to get the right consistency and salt to taste
Bring this to a boil and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Switch off the gas.
In a small pan , heat 1 tsp of oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and sauté till the dal changes colour
Next add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds
Pour this seasoning on to the Kuzhambu
Transfer to serving bowl
Serve the Murungai Keerai Poricha Kuzhambu hot with steamed rice

MASHINGA PALLE SANNA POLO

MASHINGA PALLE SANNA POLO

One of the most popular side dishes in our Konkani GSB cuisine.is what we call Sanna Polo. Though this can be described like some sort of dosa, it is a side dish had with lunch and is not the kind of dosa you would have for breakfast.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find the recipe for Cabbage Sanna Polo in which we use shredded cabbage ; you will also find Ghosale Sanna Polo made with Ridge Gourd; and Methi Sanna Polo where we use fenugreek leaves.

In today's recipe we make Sanna Polo using Drumstick Leaves which are called "Mashinga Pallo" in my mother tongue, Konkani.

As you might know, drumsticks or Moringa leaves have many health benefits.

Ingredients:

• Mashinga Pallo ( Drumstick Leaves), 1 cup 
• Raw Rice, 1 cup
• Thuvar Dal, 1/2 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 10-11
• Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Tamarind, size of a small marble
• Onion, finely chopped, 1/2 cup 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, as required to make sanna polos

Method: 

Remove the drumstick leaves from their stems, wash them and keep aside
Wash and soak the thuvar dal and raw rice together in adequate water for about 2 hours

After 2 hours drain away the water
In a mixer, grind together the roasted red chillies, coconut gratings, and tamarind till the chillies get fully crushed
To this, add the soaked rice and dal
Using just the required amount of water, grind to a coarse paste without making it too dilute
Now, add the finely chopped onions, drumstick leaves, and salt to taste. Mix well.
You now have the batter to make the sanna polos. This does not require any fermentation.
Heat and grease a non-stick tawa, and when it is hot enough pour a ladleful of batter and spread it to make small sized dosas which are neither too thick nor too thin.
Cover and cook the sanna polos over medium flame for about 2-3 minutes or till one side gets done
Flip the sanna polo, drizzle a little oil on and around it and cook till the other side becomes crisp
Serve hot