Muringa Ila Parippu Kootan (Drumstick leaves curry with toor dal)

Yesterday was my grandmother’s birthday (Happy Birthday Muthassi!) and I wanted to make something that she loves ( but she is totally off non-veg now because of her ayurvedic medicines….y?y??)I asked my maid to bring some drumstick leaves (muringa ila) that my grandmom was craving to have (my grand mom gave me step by step instructions too!). Drumstick leaves are highly nutritious. They are filled with iron, potassium and proteins. 

      I made 'Muringa ila parippu kootan', 'Muringa ila upperi'(drumstick leaves stir fry) and 'Paccha manzha uppilittedhe' (fresh mango pickle). She loved them all (though I’m not very fond of drumstick leaves). Now, let me share the recipe of “Muringa ila parippu kootan” and the rest will be posted soon. 

Preparation time: 40 -45 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6-7

You need: 

1 cup toor dal 

1 ½ cup drumstick leaves
5-7 shallots (pearl onions)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 

1 cup grated coconut
½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
salt to taste
water as required

For garnishing:
1 tbsp coconut oil
10-15 shallots (chopped fine)

Step-by-step: 

Wash and pressure cook the toor dal for 2whistles. Once cool, open the cooker, mash the dal and keep aside 

Clean the drumstick leaves by removing the leaves from the stem and discarding the yellow leaves (now you know why the preparation time is 45 minutes, I hate this process!) 
Wash 2-3 times and allow it to drain 

Grind the pearl onions and ½ tsp chilli powder to a paste (don’t worry if the paste is not smooth) 

In a kadhai, pour the cooked dal 
As the dal starts boiling add the onion chilli paste. Let it cook for about 10minutes on medium flame (till the chilli powder loses its raw smell) 

Now add turmeric powder and chilli powder and stir for another 5 minutes 
Add the required amount of water (to get a curry consistency) 

Meanwhile, make a paste with grated coconut and cumin (you’ll find this to be a common combination in Kerala vegetarian cuisine)
Now add the muringa ila (by now you should know...yeah! drumstick leaves) and salt 

Let the muringa ila cook on medium flame (this will take about 10 minutes) 

Pour in the cumin coconut paste and cook it boils again. Turn off the flame 

In a small tempering pan, heat coconut oil 

Tip in and fry the shallots till dark brown 

Once done, pour over the muringa ila kootan (hmm…love the smell of coconut oil. 
Do not waste any bit of it. Pour a little water into the same pan, once it boils pour over the kootan) 

Serve with piping hot rice, pappads and fresh mango pickle. 

My grandmother loved every moment yesterday…especially the lunch and she hasn’t stopped raving about my Muringa ila kootan ...least to say, I haven’t stopped beaming. 

Let me know what you think of this recipe…and do post your feedback

Yours tastefully!!

Sending this recipe to Kiran's "Cooking with Whole foods" hosted by "Veggie Platter"