Fragrant, comforting, and easy to serve as a complete meal, Moringa Leaves Rice Recipe is a vegetarian South Indian main course made with oil, bay leaf, and cloves in about 20 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon oil (or ghee)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 cup tender moringa/drumstick leaves (tightly packed)
  • 1/2 cup green peas
  • 2 cups cooked basmati rice
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • salt (adjust to taste)

For Grinding:

  • 1/4 cup coriander leaves
  • 1/4 cup mint (pudina leaves)
  • 3 green chilies
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 inch ginger
  • 2-3 tablespoons water

Method

  1. Firstly, take all ingredients listed "for grinding " and make a smooth paste in a blender using 2 tablespoons of water.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil/ ghee in a heavy-bottomed kadai. Add whole spices such as bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds.
  3. Next, add finely chopped onions and saute until the onions turn light brown in color.
  4. Add ground coriander mint paste and saute for 1-2 minutes till the raw smell disappears.
  5. Then add moringa leaves, green peas, turmeric, and salt. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the moringa leaves wilt.
  6. Lastly, add cooked rice, mix it well and turn off the gas.
  7. Serve Drumstick/Moringa leaves Rice hot with raita.

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.