We had a big drumstick tree in our backyard at home back in Kerala. Every time I buy drumsticks and its nutritious green leaves for a couple of dollars I miss my tree which gave me all that for free! And to add to the woe when I buy these leaves from Little India they give a bunch full. To wash and clean the whole bunch picking only the leaves you get a masters degree in Patience.
Initially I had issues with storing it without making the leaves dry. What I now do is once I have washed and cleaned the whole bunch, I wrap it in a news paper (not the glossy shiny one..the classic traditional newspaper) and store in refrigerator. It stays for more than two weeks without loosing moisture. Alternately you can even spread the leaves to strain water on a newspaper and then put them all in a box and store it in the refrigerator. Both these ways of storage have helped me a lot.
There is whole lot of benefit from their tender leaves. Read more on the below website on them.
http://smartwaytohealth.blogspot.sg/2013/01/drum-stick-leaves.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera
Now I know that "Muringa" as its called in Malayalam/Tamil came from its botanical name or may be vice versa.
To let another secret out I am not a great fan of the taste of the leaf and I hate all stinky veggies which includes Cauliflower. So when I saw these two lying around in my fridge I wondered how I can cook it so as to entice me. Here is how I managed. Luckily it turned out tasty too apart from holding all the nutrition. :)
So to cook this curry what you need is
Cauliflower - half the flower. Cut and wash the florets neatly. Its one of the most insect prone veggies as well. Why don't the worms get put off by the smell? But then they eat is raw.
Green Peas - handful washed and strained. Fresh is always good and healthy. Stored ones would do as well. You can even skip it for this recipe. I just wanted it to be there along with the other veggies.
Drum stick leaves - whole bunch.
garlic -1 pod
ginger- a small thin slice.
1Tbsp pav bhaji masala
1tbsp garam masala
1 Onion diced.
Cashew nuts-a full cup ground into a fine paste with little water.
Make a tadka in pan spluttering mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaf. Add the onion and required salt to taste.Add a spoon of fresh ginger garlic paste and sauté till onions are golden brown. Now add the cauliflower florets and green peas. Add the pav bhaji masala and garam masala. Mix well and steam cook this for 5 minutes closing pan with a lid. Add a glass of water and add the drum stick leaves.Allow it to cook for 5-6 minutes. Now add the cashew paste. Mix well and allow the whole thing to cook for 7-8 minutes.
Add coriander leaf to garnish before serve. Goes superbly well with rotis/phulkas/any Indian bread. I think it should go with plain white rice too.
It worked for me since my son would never eat the leaf when cooked with lentils or coconut. He does not eat cauliflower as well!
In this he could hardly feel the taste of the leaf so he actually ate all of what was served for him.
Initially I had issues with storing it without making the leaves dry. What I now do is once I have washed and cleaned the whole bunch, I wrap it in a news paper (not the glossy shiny one..the classic traditional newspaper) and store in refrigerator. It stays for more than two weeks without loosing moisture. Alternately you can even spread the leaves to strain water on a newspaper and then put them all in a box and store it in the refrigerator. Both these ways of storage have helped me a lot.
There is whole lot of benefit from their tender leaves. Read more on the below website on them.
http://smartwaytohealth.blogspot.sg/2013/01/drum-stick-leaves.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera
Now I know that "Muringa" as its called in Malayalam/Tamil came from its botanical name or may be vice versa.
To let another secret out I am not a great fan of the taste of the leaf and I hate all stinky veggies which includes Cauliflower. So when I saw these two lying around in my fridge I wondered how I can cook it so as to entice me. Here is how I managed. Luckily it turned out tasty too apart from holding all the nutrition. :)
So to cook this curry what you need is
Cauliflower - half the flower. Cut and wash the florets neatly. Its one of the most insect prone veggies as well. Why don't the worms get put off by the smell? But then they eat is raw.
Green Peas - handful washed and strained. Fresh is always good and healthy. Stored ones would do as well. You can even skip it for this recipe. I just wanted it to be there along with the other veggies.
Drum stick leaves - whole bunch.
garlic -1 pod
ginger- a small thin slice.
1Tbsp pav bhaji masala
1tbsp garam masala
1 Onion diced.
Cashew nuts-a full cup ground into a fine paste with little water.
 |
| Fresh Drum Stick leaves stored in a box in fridge stays 2-2.5 weeks. |
Make a tadka in pan spluttering mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaf. Add the onion and required salt to taste.Add a spoon of fresh ginger garlic paste and sauté till onions are golden brown. Now add the cauliflower florets and green peas. Add the pav bhaji masala and garam masala. Mix well and steam cook this for 5 minutes closing pan with a lid. Add a glass of water and add the drum stick leaves.Allow it to cook for 5-6 minutes. Now add the cashew paste. Mix well and allow the whole thing to cook for 7-8 minutes.
Add coriander leaf to garnish before serve. Goes superbly well with rotis/phulkas/any Indian bread. I think it should go with plain white rice too.
 |
| cauliflower green peas drum stick leaf curry |
It worked for me since my son would never eat the leaf when cooked with lentils or coconut. He does not eat cauliflower as well!
In this he could hardly feel the taste of the leaf so he actually ate all of what was served for him.
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