Vegetarian Drumsticks cooked in a spicy onion tomato gravy. A simple curry from South Indian cuisine.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 to 3 drumsticks (, cut to finger length)
  • 2 to 3 tbsps oil
  • 2 onions ((1½ cups finely chopped))
  • 2 tomatoes (, (1 cup finely chopped))
  • 1 green chili ((Slit, optional))
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 pinch mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 garlic cloves (crushed, (optional, gives a different flavor))
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ⅓ to ¾ teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder ((optional))
  • 1 cup water ((adjust as needed))

Method

How to Make Drumstick Curry

  1. Lightly scrape off the drumsticks to remove a thin layer of skin. Skip this if using homegrown drumsticks.
  2. Rinse them under running water. Cut to finger length pieces. Also chop onions, tomatoes and green chilli.
  3. Pour oil to a deep pan and heat it. Add mustard & cumin.
  4. When they splutter, add curry leaves and green chili. Fry until the leaves turn crisp.
  5. Add onions, sprinkle salt and fry till transparent.
  6. Next add drumsticks. Fry for 2 to 3 mins to remove the raw smell.
  7. Add chopped tomatoes, some salt and turmeric. Fry till the tomatoes turn soft and pulpy.
  8. Do not cover and cook but fry in an open pan, since fried tomato gravy tastes better.
  9. Add coriander powder and red chili powder. Fry for 2 to 3 mins until the raw smell of chilli powder vanishes.
  10. Pour water just enough to cover the drumsticks.
  11. Cover and cook on a medium flame till they are tender. Cooking the drumsticks on the lowest flame yields a tasty curry.
  12. If there is lot of water left towards the end then evaporate by cooking on a slightly higher flame.
  13. Turn off the stove when the drumstick curry turns slightly thick. Add more salt if needed.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.