I was impatient to try my moringa (called murunga in Sinhala and also known as "drumsticks") pods and picked two that looked thicker than the rest, but, even so, they were only about half an inch in diameter. I cooked them, last night to have with our dinner. Moringa used to be one of my favorite vegetables as a child. I've tried canned and frozen moringa and they never tasted the same.
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| Moringa Pods with Other Ingredients for the Curry |
I cut up part of an onion, a green chili, a tomato, and picked a handful of curry leaves for the curry.
Then, I lightly peeled the moringa pod:
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| Peeling the Moringa Pods |
Once the pods were peeled, I cut them into short lengths; each piece is about 3 inches long:
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| Peeled and Cut Into Short Lengths |
I cooked them in coconut milk, into which I added some turmeric. There is no curry powder in this curry.
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| Moringa Curry |
Even after peeling, the outside of the cooked pod is fibrous. The edible part is the soft pulp and seeds inside. To eat the cooked moringa, one has to open up the pod and scrape out the pulp. When I was a child, chewing on the fibrous part of the cooked moringa was part of the fun!
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| Cooked Moringa Pod, opened to show the pulp and a seed |
The taste is a little like asparagus. My daughter thought it tasted better than asparagus. M got to try a couple of pieces, this evening, and he loved it.
We are going to leave the rest of the pods to mature a bit more before I pick more. The leaves (as well as the flowers and root) are edible, too, and I will be cooking some, next.
Have you eaten moringa pods or leaves? If you were to see them in a grocery store, would you try them?
I'm not familiar with this plant at all so I googled it. It sounds amazing and has so many health properties. It only seems to be available in the UK in tablet or powder form so I won't be trying it any time soon.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to have lots of health benefits, doesn't it? My daughter once bought some moringa leaf tea and said it was good (I didn't try it).
DeleteI have not eaten any part of moringa before. However, after you description, I would like to try them. However, I'm not sure where I would find them.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any Asian grocery stores in your area, you might be able to find the canned or frozen ones; not sure if you'd find any fresh pods.
DeleteMy Moringa plant did not survive the winter. Boo!
ReplyDeleteIf I saw them of course I would try them, but I will try pretty much anything once.
Yes, one of my moringa plants didn't survive our winter, either. The one that did survive looked dead, too - it lost all its leaves and was just a stick, but, I guess it was just dormant and it sprouted new leaves once it warmed up in the spring. I am hoping that it will make it through this winter!
DeleteIf I ever find some moringa at a grocery store, I will try it! Thank you for showing how to prepare it. Celie
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Celie. I hope you are able to find some so you could try them. :)
DeleteWhen I eat moringa I still chew on the fibrous part. 😁
ReplyDeleteI love tender moringa seeds too.
I also add fresh leave to juice, or sauté them.
Ha, ha, Nil, I did, too! Had to show my daughter how it was done, didn't I? :D I am planning to add the leaves to some dhal, tomorrow.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed your fresh moringa pods. I don't expect to find any in our neck of the woods, but maybe they can be purchased somewhere in our capital. I suspect that any canned or frozen ones wouldn't give the true Moringa experience, though!
ReplyDeleteI finished pruning out the old fruiting canes in the raspberry patch this morning and I can't wait to start working on the areas where there are brambles, but we are due for some needed rain for 2 or 3 days. Time for indoor projects, I am covering a split desk chair seat with strong black denim after filling the splits with "Shoo Goo", a rubbery stuff to smooth them over.
Thank you, Bushlady. I didn't think the frozen and canned moringa was all that good, but, if you like asparagus, you will like moringa! I sometimes cook asparagus the way I cook moringa and the taste is very similar.
DeleteSounds like you've been busy with the berry bushes! Your chair projects sounds good, too. I have been considering recovering my dining chairs, but, I am not sure if it is a task I am up to, though!
I have never heard of Moringa before your mentioning it. If I ever see it I will definitely give it a try. Thank you for showing us how to prepare it.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't say if it tasted like your childhood memory of it??
It tasted just how I remembered it to be. :) The last time I had it in Sri Lanka, on a visit back, I was a little disappointed, because it didn't taste quite the same and I thought that maybe I had lost my taste for it. But, I think it was the way it was cooked and how fresh the vegetables were. If you want to have an idea of what cooked moringa tastes like, try cooking asparagus stems in coconut milk, with some onions and turmeric, etc. Asparagus has a stronger taste than moringa, but, they are very similar. :)
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