Suhanjhro/Suwanjhro or Moringa (Drumstick) flowers are nutritious edible flowers and are generally found in Mumbai markets from around December to February.
It is time consuming to clean (pick), wash and cook the flowers and not many appreciate the earthy flavor of Drumstick flowers.
I love Moringa flowers and I generally have it in two ways..either cooked as a Moringa-lotus stem curry called as Suhanjhro (Suwanjhro) in Sindhi (Click here to check the recipe) or else in the form of a Raita.
My mom would often boil the flowers and refrigerate a portion of it, to make the raita, later.
Many find it difficult to clean/pick the moringa flowers and some don’t know the correct process of cleaning/washing/cooking these flowers.
Tips to clean and cook Moringa flowers:
1) Always buy the flowers that look fresh (not bruised or discolored) as the flowers tend to rot very rapidly.
2) Make sure there are more buds than flowers as the buds are more flavorful. Buds also have a little more shelf life than flowers.
3) As soon as you buy the flowers, spread those on a news paper or a winnow and keep it in sunlight for 10-15 minutes, if possible. Keep a watch to check if there are any wiggling insects.
4) Pick and discard visible thick stems, leaves, rotten flowers, if any.
5) Take handful of flowers and buds on a plate/ winnow/ newspaper and carefully pick and discard thin stems.
6) Repeat the process till all the flowers are sorted.
7) Ideally you should boil the flowers immediately but if you need to store it, then pack the flowers in a ziplock bag and place in the refrigerator. Boil the flowers as soon as possible.
8) Before boiling, place the flowers in a huge bowl and cover with water. Stir with fingers. Collect the floating flowers and buds and place in another bowl. The thin stems, mud, grit etc will settle down in the water. Discard the content that settles down and repeat the process for 4-5 times. This process is known as Aathrayan in Sindhi.
Do check this video to understand the process in a better way.
Once cleaned, place the flowers and the buds in a pan, cover with water, add some salt and boil for 15-20 minutes on medium flame.
Drain, squeeze well, add water again, stir well, drain, squeeze and repeat 2-3 times. This reduces the bitterness of the flowers/buds.
Cool and either use it right away or freeze these after packing in a ziplock bag. When required, thaw the frozen flowers, add boiling water, let it rest for 10 minutes, squeeze and use it in curries, soups or make the raita following the recipe shared below.
- 1 Cup Curds
- ½ cup of boiled Moringa flowers
- Salt as per taste
- Water as much preferred ( I used half a cup of water)
- Half of a green chilli, finely chopped (seeds discarded)
- Pinch of grated ginger
- Black pepper powder and red chilli powder to garnish
- Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
- In a mixing bowl, take curds and whisk it well.
- Add water to dilute the curds so as to make a raita.
- Add boiled moringa flowers that are squeezed well. Make sure that the flowers are cool to touch. Hot or warm flowers will spoil the raita.
- Add salt, chopped green chilli, grated ginger (a pinch) and mix well.
- Adjust the consistency and salt.
- Garnish with pounded black pepper corns/ pepper powder, red chilli powder and coriander leaves.
- This raita tastes better if refrigerated for 20-30 minutes before serving. If you do not consume cold food, then just allow the raita to stand for 10-15 minutes at the room temperature. The flavors merge/develop well this way.
- Relish the nutritious raita as a side dish with the meal of your choice.
And here is the Recipe video of Moringa flower Raita:
