My Food Story: A recipe of moringa, mustard and coconut

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Moringa, or drumstick, is a real powerhouse of nutrients. In our home, we often use the pods in curries, chutneys, rasam, and sambhar, while the leaves go into dal, chutney, curries, or even powders that help with digestion. After cooking it in so many usual ways, I was eager to try something new. That’s when my mother-in-law suggested a recipe using mustard and coconut. From that day on, this dish has become a family favourite and a must-have whenever drumstick season arrives.

Drumstick Mustard Curry (Mulakkada Aava Kura)

Ingredients

Drumsticks 3 or 4

Mustard 1 table spoon

Raw rice1 1/2 table spoon

One table spoon of white sesame

Bowl of tamarind pulp

Coconut grated half coconut

Coriander leaves

Tomatoes 2 and two green chilies (optional)

Cumin seeds 1 tea spoon

A tea spoon of urad dal

Red chillies 5 or according to taste

A few drops of oil and salt to taste and little turmeric

Method

Wash and cut the drumsticks into half-inch pieces, then boil them or pressure cook with a pinch of turmeric, salt, and tamarind pulp. Meanwhile, soak mustard seeds, raw rice, and sesame seeds for a while, then grind them into a paste. Add coconut to this paste and grind again. Also, grind tomatoes separately into a pulp. Heat oil in a pan, season with cumin seeds and red chilies, and once they splutter, add the cooked drumsticks. Let them simmer, then stir in the tomato pulp. When it comes to a boil, add the mustard–sesame–coconut paste. Allow the curry to simmer, add salt to taste, and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. You can make it a little soupy if you like. Serve hot with rice.

R Ratna Madhavi is a freelance writer from Hyderabad