Moringa has pretty much become a household name by now. Commonly known as Drumstick, this south Indian staple has made its way to the Top 20 Superfoods today. It has been praised widely for its health benefits. A fun fact about it is that almost all parts of the tree are used in different dishes or as a part of different herbal medicines but its leaves are the richest in nutrients. In western countries, dried leaves are sold as a supplement in powder or capsule form.

I was aware of the incredible benefits of this tree but a few days back, a headline on the last page of a newspaper grabbed my attention. It said that some self-help groups from South India made few food products using Moringa leaves. When these were fed to malnourished children, their nutritional status improved a lot in just three months. So I decided to give it a try.

Taste Test

Generally, I love using fresh leafy green vegetables but as Moringa wasn’t available in my locality, I had to buy a pack of Organic Moringa leaves powder from the GOQii Health Store. I have eaten drumsticks in many vegetables & curries but I’ve never used or eaten its leaves – hence, I had no idea about its taste. When I opened the pack and tasted a pinch of that powder, I didn’t like it. I honestly didn’t. It tasted like henna or Mehndi powder. I realized that it is easy to eat it as it is. So, I started thinking of different ways to use it without compromising on taste.

Recipes Using Moringa Leaves Powder

The good part about these recipes using Moringa leaves powder is that I ensured it didn’t affect the taste much while enjoying all the goodness it had to offer.

1. Green Smoothie

What you will need:

• Banana – 1 medium
• Apple – ½ medium
• Kiwi – 1
• Almonds – 7-8 (soaked overnight and peeled)
• Oats powder – 1 tbsp
• Flaxseed powder – 1 tsp
• Chia seeds – 2 tsp (soaked)
• Spinach leaves – handful
• Organic Moringa leaves powder – 2 tsp
• Coconut/Plain water – 1 glass

How to prepare: Add all the ingredients except ½ glass coconut/plain water in a blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture. Pour in the rest of the coconut water and pulse again for a while. Your super healthy and filling green smoothie is ready.

2. Cheesy Moringa Uttapam

What you will need for batter:

• Semolina (Sooji) – ½ cup
• Oats powder – ¼ cup
• Rice flour – ¼ cup
• Curd – ½ cup
• Salt to taste
• Lemon juice – ½ tbsp.
• Organic Moringa leaves powder – 2 tsp
• Coconut crush – 1 tbsp

For topping:

• Onion, Tomato and Capsicum – 2 tbsp each finely chopped
• Green chilly – 1 chopped
• Green coriander – 2 tbsp chopped
• Grated cheese – 1 tbsp
• Oil – 1 tsp for shallow frying

How to Prepare:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a big mixing bowl and add water gradually while stirring to make a dosa batter of desired consistency. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat a nonstick pan and pour the Uttapam batter over it.
3. Immediately sprinkle a few drops of oil on the sides and add the chopped vegetables. Let it cook from one side.
4. You can cover the pan so the vegetables steam properly. Once done, turn it over and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Flip it again and sprinkle cheese over the veggie side and cover it.
6. Turn the flame off after a minute and let the cheese melt with the help of the steam inside.
7. Your Uttapam is ready! Enjoy it with green, coconut or tomato chutney.

3. Moringa Multigrain Masala Paratha

What you will need:

• Bajra flour – ½ cup
• Maize (Makka) flour – ½ cup
• Moringa Leaves powder – 1 tbsp
• Potato – 1 big boiled and grated
• Salt to taste
• Chaat masala – ½ tsp
• Red chilly powder – ¼ tsp
• Coriander – 2 tbsp fresh and chopped
• Ajwain powder – ¼ tsp
• Hing powder – 1 pinch
• Ghee – 1 tsp

How to prepare:

1. Combine all the ingredients except ghee in a big mixing bowl & make a soft dough using warm water.
2. Keep this dough aside for 15-20 minutes to rest.  After 15-20 minutes, heat a tawa on medium flame.
3. Divide the dough in 4-5 equal portions and roll each one. Place one round ball of dough onto a flat surface and start patting it into a flat round shape using your hands.
4. Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the paratha. If the paratha keeps breaking while flattening, you can also place the dough between two plastic sheets or parchment paper and flatten it out using a rolling pin.
5. Place the paratha on the hot tawa. When the paratha is slightly cooked, flip it over to cook the other side. You will see small brown spots starting to appear.
6. Put ghee on both sides. Turn the flame to low and cook till it turns to a light brown shade.
7. Shallow fry the paratha till it is completely cooked and your Moringa multigrain masala paratha is ready!

Surprising Uses of Moringa Leaves Powder

This article was all about how you can eat Moringa leaves powder but you’ll be surprised to know that there are some other uses like making scrubs and face packs as well, so your skin can get a healthy dose of nutrition!

• Mix 1tsp Moringa leaves powder with 2 tbsp thick curd and 2 tbsp oats powder. This makes a wonderful body scrub for sensitive skin.
• Mix 1 tsp Moringa powder with 1 tbsp Multani mitti. Add 1 tsp of honey and rose water each for a face pack that can give you glowing skin.
• Mix 2 tsp Moringa powder, 1 tsp curd and 1 tbsp tomato juice for a tan removal face pack.

These were just my experiments to get the benefits of Moringa leaves in powder form. Try them and let me know if they work for you. Is there a way you use Moringa? Share them with us in the comments below.

For more awesome facts on food and nutrition, check out other articles on Healthy Reads or ask an expert by subscribing for Personalised Health Coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce