Prawns with Moringa Leaves

 Moringa - or the Moringa Oleifera is one of the old world superfoods. The tree is very common in India lining streets and households.  The seed pods are long - like over 40 centimetres long and are delicious in curries.  We grew up calling them drumsticks - of course drumstick in Melbourne refers to chicken drumsticks so I soon stopped saying that.  We hardly get fresh drumsticks - though it does make an appearance in the market once in a while. I buy it when I see it and freeze it for later use.  The leaves and flowers of the moringa tree are also edible and used in curries. 

Yesterday, I spotted fresh leaves in the market - so today we will make one my favourite recipes that my patti (grandmother) used to make with school shrimp. School shrimp are tiny shrimp that you can cook with the shells on but it is hard to get them off season in Melbourne.  I felt lucky just getting the moringa leaves.

Moringa leaves are often sold in health food stores in powder form, but fresh is the best.  I have never used the powder form.  The hardest part of this recipe is getting the leaves off its stalk. The stalks are tough and you do not want them in your dish.  Once you have got the leaves off the stalks, this dish can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

I guess you could try it with shredded spinach if you cannot find moringa leaves.  

Ingredients:

1 bowl - about 300 grams of prawns

1 bowl loosely packed moringa leaves

1 large red onion, chopped finely

2 or 3 green chillies, slit

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chilli powder ( you can reduce this quantity if you think it will be too hot)

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon oil

salt to taste

Method:

Clean the prawns and add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt, mix well and set aside.

Wash and drain the moringa leaves and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds.  When the mustard seeds crackle, add the onions and chillies and sauté. Sauté till the onions get transparent and the chillies blister - about 5 minutes. 

Next add the moringa leaves and cook for a couple of minutes. You will be able to smell the distinct waft of the moringa leaves and it turns bright green and starts to curl.

Now add the prawns and cook till done.  You may add a tablespoon of water to cook the prawns - but generally the water from the leaves should suffice.

Serve hot with rice or chappati as a side dish.