Here’s good news for all those drumstick lovers. If you love relishing those pulpy stalks, it’s time to drool over the goodness of leaves too.

Drumstick or moringa leaves are the latest fad taking the world of health and nutrition by storm. According to Ayurvedic medicine, consuming these leaves at least twice a week help in fighting monsoon infections, build your bodily resistance and prevent various allergies.

Deep-green in colour, moist and tender to touch, Moringa leaves are abundant in Vitamin C, that is instrumental in maintaining defence mechanism of the body. These leaves provide your daily requirement of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, iron, riboflavin, magnesium and protein.

Furthermore, they are a powerhouse of dietary roughage that aid in digestion as well as antioxidants which lower bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and strengthen the heart muscles.

In this article, we bring you traditional yet unique, tasty low-calorie, high-fiber recipes with moringa leaves to bolster your immunity.

Moringa Masoor Dal

Ingredients:

2 cups moringa leaves, finely cut

½ cup masoor dal (red lentil)

1 cup water

¼ tsp hing

1 tsp jeera

A small piece of ginger, finely chopped

1 green chilli, cut into small pieces

2 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt, as needed

1 tbsp ghee

One half of a small lemon

Method:

Take a medium-sized pan, cook the finely cut moringa leaves with some salt, until they become soft and tender and place it aside in a bowl.

In a pressure cooker, boil masoor dal in one cup of water for three whistles, on medium flame.

Heat ghee on medium flame in the same pan, add hing and jeera and allow them to crackle.

Sauté the ginger, green chilli, coriander powder, turmeric powder and red chilli powder in ghee for about two minutes.

Now, add this sautéed mix to the pressure cooked dal along with boiled moringa leaves and required salt and cook for a few minutes.

Squeeze the lemon juice to infuse a zesty flavour to the moringa masoor dal and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Nutrition:

Moringa leaves, being significantly high in fiber content, effectively eliminate constipation. They are also a rich source of the antioxidant molecule - quercetin, which assists in lowering blood pressure. Quercetin acts by conferring anti-inflammatory properties to blood vessels – arteries, veins and capillaries, preventing them from narrowing or widening and decreasing any signs of low bp or high bp. Hence, it reduces high blood pressure levels as well as the risk of severe cardiac ailments like stroke. Masoor dal is packed with proteins, which maintain body structure and are vital for growth and development. Lemon juice, abounding in citric acid, eliminates kidney stones, thereby detoxifying the body.

Moringa Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups moringa leaves

2 cups water

6 pearl onions

1 small tomato

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

A few cloves of garlic

Method:

Clean the moringa leaves thoroughly and in a deep dish, boil them in water on medium flame.

Chop the pearl onions, garlic and tomato into tiny pieces.

Add these vegetables to the boiled moringa leaves along with cumin and coriander powder and cook on low flame for 15 minutes, to allow the flavours of the spices to soak in.

Now, blend this boiled assortment in a mixer.

Strain the blend to filter out any fine leafy particles, so as to obtain the clear soup.

Heat it for another 5 minutes, adding salt and pepper according to taste and serve the moringa soup piping hot.

Nutrition:

Moringa is imbued with chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that regulates blood sugar levels after meals. It also supplies potent anti-inflammatory compounds that can prevent the occurrence of cancer. Onion provides potassium to sustain cardiac functions, while tomatoes offer carotenoids to beat vision problems. Garlic is a stimulant, which helps to get rid of fatigue symptoms and enhances productivity.