Drumstick/Shevgyachya Shenga

Overview

Drumstick is a seed pod like peas and belongs to the Moringaceae family. This vegetable is mostly grown in India, where it is commonly known as shevga or shevgyachya shenga, and a lot of people living in South India use it in their diet on a regular basis, especially to make sambar.

Nutritional profile

• This vegetable is a very good source of vitamin C, and it is high in fibre.
• Even after boiling it, it retains a large quantity of vitamin C; therefore, it can be cooked and still fulfil the vitamin C requirement.

Health benefits

• The rich fibre content in drumstick helps to improve gut health and digestion.
• Drumstick improves the blood sugar level and is beneficial for diabetic patients.

Uses

• Water purification: Drumstick seeds are used to purify water. Adding some drumstick seed powder to the impure water will separate the dirt from the water and can be used for drinking.

Recipes

Ingredients: Drumsticks pulp, 1 finely chopped garlic, finely chopped ginger, 5–6 finely chopped onion, 3 finely chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ¼ cup lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves 2 Tbsp oil and salt.

Cooking steps: Take oil in a pan and keep it on medium flame. Add all the ingredients one by one and stir them thoroughly. Mix well and cook until it is golden brown. Add drumstick pulp at the end and mix it with other ingredients. Drumstick bharta is ready. Serve it hot with tortillas.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp black mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 finely chopped onion, 3–4 curry leaves, 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste, 1 diced tomato, ½ tsp cumin powder, ½ tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garam masala, sliced drumsticks, and salt.

Cooking steps: Fry all the ingredients together until they turn golden. Add sliced drumsticks to it along with some water. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on low flame for 15 minutes. Drumstick masala curry is ready to be served.