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Murunga curry
මුරුංගා කරිය (murunga curry): drumstick pods in a mild, creamy coconut milk curry from the East coast
In Batticaloa, where Tamil and Muslim households sit side by side along the lagoon, drumsticks, called murungakkai in Tamil and murunga in Sinhala, are a staple vegetable, and this gentle coconut milk curry is cooked in almost every home. The long ridged pods are cut into finger lengths and simmered with garlic, fenugreek, turmeric and unroasted curry powder until the pulp inside is soft and sweet, a little like asparagus with a hint of green bean. You eat it by pulling each piece through your teeth to scrape out the flesh and seeds, then leaving the fibrous skin on the plate. It goes with rice, a seafood curry and a sambol. Skipping the scraping step is the error to avoid, as the hard outer ridges stay tough and stringy. Chef's tip: frozen drumsticks from Indian or Sri Lankan grocers work well and need only about half the cooking time.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the curry
- 4 drumsticks (moringa pods)about 400 g, ridges lightly scraped, cut into 7 cm lengths
- 1 onionsliced
- 3 cloves garlicsliced
- 2 green chilliesslit
- 1 sprig curry leavesleaves picked
- 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 3 cm piece cinnamon stick
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 /4 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups thin coconut milk
- ¾ cup thick coconut milk
- 1 tsp lime juice (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Put 4 drumsticks (moringa pods), 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 green chillies, 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 /2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 3 cm piece cinnamon stick, 1 ½ tsp unroasted Sri Lankan curry powder, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric and 3 /4 tsp salt in a saucepan.
Step 2: Pour in 1 ¼ cups thin coconut milk, bring to a simmer over a medium heat, cover and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the drumsticks are tender and the flesh scrapes out easily.
15 minStep 3: Add ¾ cup thick coconut milk and simmer gently uncovered for 2–3 minutes until the gravy is creamy; do not boil.
3 minStep 4: Stir in 1 tsp lime juice, taste for salt and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does murunga curry take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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