Moringa Leaves (1 bunch)

Fresh moringa leaves, one bunch — the small round leaves of the drumstick tree, known as murungai keerai, munaga aaku, sahjan or shigru, and in German as Moringablätter.

The leaves have a green, mildly bitter taste, closer to a strong spinach than to a herb. They are cooked, not eaten raw: stripped from the stems and stir-fried as murungai keerai poriyal with coconut and dal, simmered into sambar and rasam, cooked with moong dal as a kadalai paruppu keerai, or added to a Kerala thoran.

Pull the leaves off the woody stalks before cooking, and cook them briefly — long cooking makes them darker and more bitter. Wrap the bunch in a damp cloth or paper, keep refrigerated, and use within two to three days, as the leaves wilt faster than most greens.