Moringa or Malunggay Vegetable/ Plant 辣木

I first heard about this wonder plant in a not-so-pleasant encounter, and it happened to someone. My parents' helper fell, inflicted a deep cut on her leg, and bled profusely. Instead of off-the-counter medication on the wound, she applied a natural green paste which she told me will be sufficient to clean the wound, stop the bleeding and gradually heal the wound.


I did not ask her how the paste was formed but malunggay leaves was the answer. She said the leaves are very common in Philippines - as cooking ingredient; and times in need like this - to clean sores, and wounds.


I got a few pointers from her on how to use malunggay leaves in cooking, and she say "easy!". Soups, curries, stir-fries. Rice, noodles, even egg omelettes! The key is not to over-cook them. Simply add them to the dishes towards the end of cooking, and they will just "meld" in the dish, fast.

You might be unfamiliar with this word "malunggay" but in the US, you may have heard moringa more often. Moringa - the superfood, that has risen fast in the US, and more often marketed and sold as moringa powder.

I bought a packet of malunggay when I saw them in Lion Supermarket, San Jose; and have since cooked them in several ways (below). Meantime, perhaps you can share how you have used malunggay vegetable/plant in cooking.



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Tag: malunggay leaves, moringa

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