In the mood for moringa

 Moringa Leaf Chutney Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients: Around 100 gm of dry moringa leaves; 50 ml of coconut oil; 10 gm of roasted channa dal; 10 gm of ginger; 20 gm of shallots; 10 gm of curry leaves; 5 gm of dry red chilly; 20 gm of grated coconut; 100 gm of basmati rice; 2 gm of mustard seeds and salt to taste.

Method: Cook basmati rice and keep it aside till cool. To make the chutney, grind together moringa leaf, shallots, ginger, grated coconut, half the curry leaves and salt. Heat coconut oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves. Add the ground chutney into it and sauté well. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Season with salt and black pepper.

Note: If you are using moringa powder, use the same quantity, but add it as a paste after cooking the shallots, ginger, coconut, curry leaves chutney well. It just needs to be heated through.

Moringa Leaf Cheesecake (Serves 2)

Ingredients: Around 20 gm of dry moringa leaves; 50 gm of mascarpone cheese; 3 gm of gelatin; 20 gm of icing sugar; 25 gm of whipped cream; 10 gm of sponge cake cut into 6 cm diameter

Method: Soak the gelatin in 2 tbsps of room temperature water. Blend the cheese and icing sugar together. Add the soaked gelatin and moringa leaves or moringa paste. Fold in the whipped cream and let it rest for 5 minutes. Place the sponge at the base of a 6 cm round tin, where the sides can be opened to slide the set cheesecake out or one which has a detachable base. Gently pour the mixture on top of the sponge and refrigerate it for at least an hour. Serve cold.

Moringa Leaf & Prawn Curry (Serves 4)

Ingredients: 100 gm of dry moringa leaves; 10 prawns (peeled and deveined); 2 gm of mustard seeds; 50 ml of coconut oil; 100 gm of shallots; 10 gm of red chillies; 50 gm of ginger; 50 gm of curry leaves; 20 gm of green chillies; 2 gm of turmeric powder; 5 gm of red chilli powder; 2 gm of pepper powder; 20 ml of coconut paste and salt to taste.

Method: Heat coconut oil in a shallow pan. Crackle mustard seeds, sauté ginger and garlic. Add sliced shallots, green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté till golden brown and add red chilli, turmeric and pepper powders. Add a splash of water and salt. When this boils, add the dry moringa leaves and prawns to the pan. If you are using moringa powder, add it to the coconut paste and combine it in the pan when the prawns are almost cooked through. Serve hot with rice, appam or idiyappam.