Legend has it that this plant was particularly guarded by a female called Mohini, apparently she killed herself and her evil soul is trapped on the tree, The tree bore a fruit which was a aphrodisiac; and then leaves were eaten too.
Our ancestral colonial were baffled when they discovered that the roots of this plant had pleasant pungency which resembled that of horseradish and started using it in culinary.
For reasons unknown it was called Drumstick.
Moringa oleifera - in tamil it was called Murungakkai , That is where the botanical name would have arose,
“This tree was referred to as “miracle tree” and recognised by the National Institutes of Health as the “Botanical of the Year” in 2007, 2011 and 2012. In the drought-prone areas of Africa, it is looked upon as the cure for starvation. The spoonful of dried and powdered leaves is administered to children to ward off malnutrition. The leaves, fruit and flowers can take care of most of the body’s nutritional needs.”
source : The Hindu/October 2015
A popular Indian daily reports the Asian Vegetable Research and Developmental Centre noting the Indian drumstick’s properties ounce for ounce, and quoting the moringa leaves having “more beta-carotene than carrots, more protein than peas, more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more potassium than bananas and more iron than spinach.”
By harnessing this Miracle plant to its potential, The roots are blended with spices and used as a marinade for the lamb loin, then the leaves and the flowers are stir fried with dry coconut called copari & split lentils along with asafoetida further to which it’s dehydrated and used as a crust for the lamb loin, the long whip-like pods with soft inner seeds cooked in lamb stock and removed from its fibrous husks and used for the sauce.
Drumstick tends to work well with meat or fish or just about anything; one traditional stew is the sambar where it’s commonly used and acts as a dip sauce for the dosai ( rice crepe of south India).
Drumstick and it ain’t Chicken.
