Plant protein
Dried moringa leaf is roughly a quarter protein by weight, and it has all nine essential amino acids. A useful top-up for vegetarian meals.
Try: Knead it into roti or thepla dough.
Benefits & recipes
What's in a spoonful.
Moringa, the drumstick tree, has been cooked in Indian kitchens for generations. Its leaves are among the most nutrient-dense greens there are, and drying them into powder packs those nutrients into a spoonful you can add to everyday food.
Jump to the recipesIron
Your body needs iron to make the haemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood. Plant iron is taken up better when you eat it with vitamin C.
Try: Add a squeeze of lemon, or blend it with fruit.
Calcium
Moringa leaves are a natural plant source of calcium, which your bones, teeth and muscles rely on.
Try: Whisk it into chaas or a lassi.
Beta-carotene
Part of the deep green colour hides beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A for healthy eyes, skin and normal immunity.
Try: Stir it into dal with a spoon of ghee. Fat helps it absorb.
Polyphenols
The leaves carry plant antioxidants such as quercetin and chlorogenic acid, which help protect your cells from everyday oxidative stress.
Try: A spoon in warm water with lemon, first thing.
Fibre
The whole ground leaf keeps its fibre, which helps keep digestion regular and helps you feel full for longer.
Try: Blend it into a banana and mango smoothie.
Moringa leaves also contain potassium, magnesium and vitamin E. Exact amounts vary with soil, season and drying. A tablespoon of Mira (8 g) has about 30 kcal. Ask us on WhatsApp for your batch's lab report.
In Ayurveda
Shigru
Ayurveda calls the drumstick tree Shigru, and has used its leaves, pods and seeds for centuries. In Gujarat we call it saragvo, and the pods go into dal and kadhi every summer. Mira is processed under the observation of Ayurvedic doctors.
Who it suits
An easy daily green
Few greens on your plate? A spoon goes into food you already eat. Vegetarian or vegan? It adds plant protein, iron and calcium. Busy mornings? Thirty seconds in water or a smoothie.
Read this first
Food, not medicine
Start with half a teaspoon a day and build up over a week. A lot at once can upset the stomach. Ask your doctor first if you're pregnant or nursing, or take regular medicine, especially for diabetes, blood pressure or thyroid, or blood thinners. Never use moringa in place of treatment you've been given.
Don't just take it with water.
RecipesThe pack suggests 2 teaspoons, twice a day. Each recipe here uses 1 to 2 teaspoons, so one glass or one dish is a serving. Mira tastes earthy and fresh, a bit like spinach and green tea, and it hides well in Indian food.
Add it last
Stir it in after cooking, off the heat. Long boiling dulls the colour and some vitamins.
Make a paste first
Mix it with a spoon of water, curd or dal before adding, so it never clumps.
Start small
Half a teaspoon a day for the first week, then build up to the full serving.
Add lemon
Vitamin C helps your body take up the iron in moringa.
Morning drink
Warm moringa water with lemon and honey
The simplest way to take it, and a gentle start to the day.
You need
- 1 tsp Mira moringa powder
- 250 ml warm water
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
Method
- Put the moringa in a glass and stir in 2 tablespoons of the water to make a smooth paste.
- Pour in the rest of the water and stir well.
- Add the lemon juice and honey, stir, and drink while it's warm.
Tip: Let boiled water cool for a few minutes first. Very hot water dulls the colour, and honey is best stirred into warm water, not boiling.
Cooler
Moringa masala chaas
The tang of curd hides the earthiness, so this is the best one to start with.
You need
- 1 cup fresh curd
- 2 cups chilled water
- 1 tsp Mira moringa powder
- ½ tsp roasted jeera powder
- ¼ tsp black salt, or to taste
- ½ inch ginger, grated
- A few coriander or mint leaves
Method
- Whisk the moringa into the curd until smooth.
- Add the water, jeera, black salt and ginger. Whisk or blend until frothy.
- Pour into glasses, top with chopped coriander or mint and serve cold.
Lunch or dinner
Moringa dal tadka
Your everyday dal, with moringa stirred in at the very end so it stays green.
You need
- 1 cup toor or moong dal, washed
- 3 cups water
- ½ tsp turmeric, salt to taste
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp jeera, a pinch of hing
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 green chilli, slit
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tsp Mira moringa powder
- Lemon and coriander to finish
Method
- Pressure-cook the dal with the water, turmeric and salt for 3 to 4 whistles, then whisk it smooth.
- Heat the ghee. Add jeera, hing, garlic and chilli, and cook until the garlic turns golden.
- Add the tomato and cook until soft. Pour the tadka into the dal and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Mix the moringa with 2 tablespoons of the hot dal, stir it back in, and finish with lemon and coriander.
Breakfast or tiffin
Moringa thepla
Soft, spiced Gujarati flatbreads that keep for two to three days, so they're good for travel and lunch boxes.
You need
- 2 cups wheat flour (atta)
- 2 tbsp besan
- 2 tsp Mira moringa powder
- ½ tsp each turmeric, red chilli powder and ajwain
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup curd
- 1 tbsp oil, plus more for cooking
- Water as needed
Method
- Mix the flour, besan, moringa, spices, sesame and salt.
- Add the curd and oil, then knead into a soft dough with a little water. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- Divide into 10 balls and roll each one thin.
- Cook on a hot tawa with a few drops of oil until both sides have golden spots.
Tip: Plain rotis: knead 1 teaspoon of Mira into every cup of atta, with water and a pinch of salt as usual.
Quick breakfast
Mango, banana and moringa smoothie
Sweet fruit carries moringa well. Kids who won't eat greens often drink this.
You need
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup ripe mango pieces, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup chilled milk, or curd for a lassi
- 1 tsp Mira moringa powder
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- A few ice cubes
Method
- Put everything in a blender.
- Blend for 30 to 40 seconds, until smooth.
- Pour and drink straight away.
Tip: Out of mango season: use a cup of ripe papaya, or 4 to 5 soaked dates.
More quick ideas.
No recipe card needed. Each of these takes a few minutes and uses food you probably already have.
15 min · About 1 cup · 3 tbsp Mira
Moringa podi
You need: ¼ cup chana dal, ¼ cup urad dal, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 6 to 8 dry red chillies, 5 to 6 garlic cloves, salt, 3 tbsp Mira.
Method: dry-roast the dals on low heat until golden, then the sesame, chillies and garlic. Let it all cool completely, grind coarse with salt, then mix in the moringa. Keeps 2 weeks in a dry, airtight jar. Eat with idli, dosa, or hot rice and ghee.
5 min · 1 small bowl · 2 tsp Mira
Green chutney
You need: 1 cup coriander leaves, ½ cup mint leaves, 1 to 2 green chillies, ½ inch ginger, juice of 1 lemon, salt, 2 tsp Mira, a little water.
Method: blend everything to a smooth paste, adding water a spoon at a time. Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Good with sandwiches, dhokla and pakoras.
5 min · Serves 2 · 1 tsp Mira
Moringa raita
You need: 1 cup curd, ½ cucumber (grated and squeezed), 1 tsp Mira, ½ tsp roasted jeera powder, salt.
Method: whisk the moringa into the curd until smooth, then fold in the cucumber, jeera and salt. Serve with parathas, pulao or biryani.
1 min · 1 plate · 1 tsp Mira
Poha, upma or khichdi
Method: cook your usual recipe. Turn off the heat, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Mira over each plate's worth, mix well and squeeze lemon on top. It turns the dish a soft green and you'll barely taste it.