Moringa powder is the latest fad to hit the health food market. This powder is made from dried moringa leaves. I, however, prefer the fresh leaves. And since I have a tree growing in my back garden, I get an abundant stock of moringa leaves. The most common dish using this delightful green is the adai (see under ‘Breakfast’ in this blog. So, I decided to prepare something different and settled on the sambar – and did not regret the decision one bit. What a tasty sambar indeed!

Ingredients
1 bunch of moringa leaves (murungai keerai), approximately 200 gms
1/2 cup pigeon peas (tur dal, thuvaram parupu)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi, manjal podi)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (sarson, kadugu)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dhana, venthiyam)
3 dried red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
15 shallots or 1 big onion, sliced
A pinch of asafoetida (hing, perunkayam)
1 1/2 tsp sambar powder (recipe in this blog)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
A small lemon sized ball of tamarind
Salt to taste
Method
Remove the moringa leaves from the stalks
Wash well
Wash the pigeon peas well
Place the pigeon peas in a pressure cooker, adding turmeric powder
Place the moringa leaves in a small bowl, add a little water and place this bowl on top of the pigeon peas (in the pressure cooker)
Place the lid on the pressure cooker and cook for about 6 whistles (this may vary depending upon the pressure cooker)
The pigeon peas must be musy – mash it well
Let the steam release naturally and open the lid
Set the pressure cooker aside
Extract juice from the tamarind using 1 cup of warm water
Set aside
Heat a wok and add mustard seeds
When they begin to splutter, add the fenugreek seeds, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves
Add the onions and saute till translucent
Add tamarind extract, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt
Boil for about 5 minutes
Add cooked moringa leaves and mashed pigeon peas
Mix well and boil for 5 minutes more
Switch off flame and transfer to a serving bowl
Serve hot with steamed red/brown rice
Enjoy!

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