Moringa

Moringa oleifera · Vegetable

40 pairings

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is a fast-growing, drought-tolerant tree of the monogeneric family Moringaceae, prized for its protein- and micronutrient-rich leaves and its long, ribbed seed pods — the "drumsticks" of South Asian cooking. Nearly every part of the tree is edible or useful, earning it the names "miracle tree" and "tree of life."

Picking a good onedrag

Slim, green, snaps wetWoody and shrivelled, seeds hard

Shop freshThe everyday bundle: cut short, boil or pressure-cook until soft, then scrape the pulp and seed from the skin like an artichoke.Everyday best

Skin and ribsGreen and matte, ribs standing up sharper

The snapSnaps with a pull, break face still moist

Seed lineSeeds show as soft bumps, pod still slim

Smell at the breakFaintly green, close to neutral

What to look for, from slim, green, snaps wet to woody and shrivelled, seeds hard.

What one gives you

52%

Usable yield

Hard skin and fibres off · no unit weight - SR's 11 g pod implies a 21 g whole drumstick, four times too light

Preparing