Family, Food, Indian cuisine
Drumming it Up: Prawn and Drumstick Curry

In recent times, Moringa oleifera has come to be recognized as the new superfood owing to the abundance of micronutrients and antioxidants found in its leaves and pods. The tree, also called the drumstick tree, is native to the Indian subcontinent and found growing in most tropical countries. It is cultivated for its leaves and pods which are eaten as vegetables and used in traditional medicine due to its antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressant properties. In addition, seeds of the Moringa tree have been found to have unique water purification properties.

Moringa pods/drumsticks
cleaned and cut drumsticks

This recipe for prawn and drumsticks has been adapted from a Kerala recipe I found online.

Ingredients

Curry paste

  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 tbsp coriander seed
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • ¼ cup grated coconut
  • 2-4 dried red chilis
  • ¼ tsp turmeric

Heat a pan and add the coriander, cumin, and chilis and fry till aromatic. Add the onion, garlic and fry till translucent. Add the coconut and fry for 2-3 minutes. Cool and blend to a smooth paste, using a little water if needed.

Ingredients

  • 300g prawns, shelled and deveined keeping tails on.
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 2 green chilis slit
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for tempering
  • 1 tbsp tamarind paste.
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (optional)
  • 2-3 drumsticks
  • ~ 1 cup liquid reserved from pressure cooking drumsticks.

Method

Clean and cut drumsticks into about 3-inch pieces. Pressure-cook (2-3 whistles) with about 1 cup water. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and add the onion and green chili fry for till onion is turning golden. Add the curry paste and continue frying. Add chili powder, salt, tamarind. Fry for a few seconds and add the reserved liquid from cooking the drumsticks. Stir well and add the prawn, cooked drumsticks, and coconut milk (if using) and cook for about 10 minutes.

Bonus info!
Online sources say that the word moringa comes from the Tamil word “murungai”. However according to the lexicon of the University of Madras (page 3280) the Tamil word murungai comes from the Sinhala word “murunga”.