Drumsticks Upkari/Moringa Stir Fry – a simple, easy to make south Indian stir fry with the trending veggie drumsticks or moringa as the world knows it!
Paired with some rice and dal it is a great side!
Although globally, everyone now is recognizing and wowing about drumstick leaves called moringa leaves for all its benefits nutritionally, I grew up eating those stick like seed pods on a regular basis, although only getting tender ones from the market.
But today, we have a huge tree growing in our garden and cannot wait to make different curries and stir fries with the seed pods as well as the leaves!
You can check out all the nutritional benefits of eating moringa online on any of the health websites.
WHAT IS A DRUMSTICK; “THE VEGGIE NOT THE CHICKEN VARIETY!":
These are seeds pods of the drumstick tree or moringa tree and because it looks like a drums stick, it is called “drumstick”?
We grew up calling it “mushinga/mashinga saang” in Konkani and in Tamil (another south Indian language) it is called “murunga kai”.
The seeds pods or drumsticks need to be picked tender from the tree and these are then cut and made into curries and added into stir fries or even soups; recipe of which I will share soon!
While consuming, we just chop them into small 2 inch pieces, cook and then open and scrape the inner pulp with our teeth (like you would an artichoke) or pop the whole in our mouth, chew up the juicy sweetness of the veggie and discard the pulp.
Traditional way but we love it as this way, we get all the nutrition that drumsticks can provide!
Not only the seed pods, the leaves too are highly if not more nutritious! I always have a bunch of these leaves in my fridge to add to dosas, savory crepes, curries, pulaos, soups etc.!
As a matter of fact; my nutritionist in the hospital prescribed eating this every so often after my cardiac surgery recently!
But our favorite is the flowers; although we normally don't get them as much on the trees, but we do make curries along with leaves too!
HOW TO MAKE DRUMSTICK STIR FRY:
This is one of the easiest stir fries you can make! All you need are some fresh drumsticks, dry red chilies (or chili powder), mustard seeds, coconut oil, salt and a dash of jaggery (or sugar).
Just chop the veggie into 2 inch pieces, pop mustard seeds in some oil and add dry red chilies. Then stir in chopped drumsticks along with salt and jaggery for a mildly sweet and salty taste!
Add enough water to cook the veggie and it is ready in 15 minutes!
Adjust the amount of jaggery according to your preference.
MORINGA/MASHINGA/DRUMSTICKS UPKARI with a SWEET POTATOES
With a huge moringa stock in my freezer, making this curry is super quick.
I just cut the moringa sticks into 2 inch pieces (DO NOT WASH THE VEGETABLE) and freeze them in small Ziploc bags in the freezer.
Just pull them out of the freezer, thaw and use them in curries.
Use them within 3 months for best flavor!
This time, I decided to add some sweet potatoes to my upkari.
Just washed, peeled and cubed sweet potatoes and cooked them along with the drumsticks!
Adding jaggery here is optional as sweet potatoes already are a bit sweet. But if you like more sweetness, then do add a dash of jaggery here or any other sweetener you like or use.
Rest of the recipe is the same.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
It goes very well with any Indian meal but feel free to enjoy some with your kinda meal too!
We enjoyed it with some rice, northern beans/white beans saarupkari (same recipe as black eyed peas saarupkari) and fresh Indian gooseberries (again from our garden) which was spiced up with some salt and red chili powder; and of course a refreshing Pomegranate Lassi!
Do give this stir fry a try the next time you get hold of some fresh or frozen drumsticks from your nearby grocer or market!
Enjoy foodies and Happy Cooking!
Here are some more Konkani style vegetable stir fries you may enjoy:
- Beetroot Upkari/Stir Fry
- Raw Banana or Plantain Upkari
- Mung Bean Sprouts Upkari
- Duddhe/Pumpkin Upkari
Now, let us see how to make this easy-peasy Drumstick Upkari:
Step-wise instructions to make Drumsticks Upkari/Stir Fry:
Wash the drumsticks well and then chop into 2 to 3 inches pieces.
Heat oil in a saucepan and once hot, add the mustard seeds.
As soon as the seeds splutter and pop, stir in chopped dry red chilies and saute a few seconds on low heat; DO NOT LET IT BURN.
Immediately add the chopped drumsticks, salt to taste and enough water to almost cover the vegetable.
Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes; about 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, stir in jaggery, as per taste, mix well and cook again, covered, adding more water if needed.
Allow to cook on medium heat until the drumsticks are cooked, and give slightly when pressed gently with your fingers. Adjust the amount of salt and jaggery; we love it a bit on the slightly sweeter side.
You can either add more water to allow some to remain when cooked or cook until dry; your choice. Personally, we love to spoon up the sweet and salty broth of the cooked veggie!
Remove from heat and serve hot as a side dish with any meal. We enjoyed it with some rice, Northern beans saarupkari and a gooseberry salad.
Do try this easy, healthy and super nutritious drumsticks upkari the next time you get hold of some fresh drumsticks!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
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Drumsticks Upkari/Stir Fry – a simple, easy to make Konkani style south Indian stir fry with the trending veggie, drumsticks or moringa as the world knows it! Paired with some rice and dal/sambar/curry it is a great side!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped drumsticks/moringa/mashinga seed pods
- 2 teaspoon coconut oil (or any other cooking oil)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 3 to 4 dry red chilies, roughly cut
- 2 to 3 tbsp jaggery
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the drumsticks well and then chop into 2 to 3 inches pieces.
- Heat oil in a saucepan and once hot, add the mustard seeds.
- As soon as the seeds splutter and pop, stir in chopped dry red chilies and sauté a few seconds on low heat; DO NOT LET IT BURN.
- Immediately add the chopped drumsticks, salt to taste and enough water to almost cover the vegetable.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes; about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir in jaggery, mix well and cook again, covered, adding more water if needed.
- Allow to cook on medium heat until the drumsticks are cooked, and give slightly when pressed gently with your fingers. Adjust the amount of salt and jaggery to suit your taste; we love it a bit sweet.
- You can either add more water to allow some to remain when cooked or cook until dry; your choice. Personally, we love to spoon up the sweet and salty broth of the cooked veggie!
- Remove from heat and serve hot as a side dish with any meal. We love to relish this with some rice, dal or lentil/beans saarupkari and a salad.
- Do try this easy, healthy and super nutritious drumsticks upkari the next time you get hold of some fresh drumsticks!
- Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
Notes
Make sure to choose tender and fresh drumsticks/moringa sticks; keep the thick ones aside to make curry with gravies. Some do tend to be a bit bitter; just discard this while eating.
Adjust the amount of seasonings to suit personal preference.
If you cannot find dry red chilies, use red chili powder/cayenne powder or even green chilies.
For variations of this simple curry, you can add peeled and cubed potatoes, sweet potatoes or even some brinjals/baingan/eggplant too!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!
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