Moringa/Muringele & Baby Corn Stir Fry/Drumstick leaves Thoran

 Family, I am fortunate to have indeed! Coming down occasionally to my hometown or the husband's place is a bonus. I feel totally pampered and loved. This visit has been overwhelming for countless reasons and do feel blessed.

Every visit both the husband and I take time out to give ourselves to others especially the elderly. We are 24/7 there for my in-laws over phone, just a call a way or a state away! And when we come down, we are there for almost half a day every day unless work keeps us both tied down at home.

The last visit we made we were able to spend time with a friend's parents. I will jot that down with pics in another post. We sat and yapped with them feeling so refreshed in our hearts and our body! I think they felt the same too!
That Uncle had not been well for a while and did get better in time but still weak. It was an evening well spent! During our previous visit we met another friend's parents...it was the aunty who wasn't well for quite some time and her husband was attending to all her needs diligently. Her sugar had risen and she just wouldn't take her medicines for diabetes.

Anyway, things have changed a lot from that evening and guess what the Uncle who attended to that aunty had a silent cardiac arrest, collapsed and passed away yesterday! I just returned after paying my respects to aunty. My friend is still on her way home to her mother and so are her brothers from other countries. In the midst of all this, my thought wanders on what and who we have with us after our parents make their exit from the face of the earth and they are indeed our siblings!

I've had my share of ups and downs and still do because that is human nature. Some of the reasons could even be silly misunderstandings or the mind construing things beyond repair...Oh Geez! unbelievable...things that we would have hardly meant in the context taken. We humans are all such a bundle of emotions, a ticking bomb waiting to explode when the weak opportunity strikes. I've had my share of tears this holiday as well...unable to always explain my act...it just sounds defensive even if it really isn't!

 Meeting them during various visits are nice. It reaffirms that we are not alone, pa and ma have left behind others similar to us in features, tone of voice, the modulation, the mannerisms or complexion.

Check this link for all details on the Moringa/Drumstick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera

A sibling was kind enough to load me with a few of the spoils from their yard. Oh my!From the papaya, the jackfruit, the breadfruit to these drumstick leaves that you see here were so delicious and healthy. Not an ounce of pesticide in them and so organic in nature. And I got into action to concoct an apt recipe to chew onto. Washed the greens from the drumstick tree that my sibling possesses and allowed it to drain in a colander. In the meantime I finely chopped an onion and crushed two to three garlic pods.

 I had a few baby corn in the fridge and decided to combine the two. Thus split them like so. In a saucepan in a tsp. of oil allowed a few mustard seeds to splutter, threw in the diced onions along with garlic, cumin seeds, roughly chopped chilly/thondan molakka, a red dry chilly and sautéed them well. To it I added a tsp. of turmeric and cumin powder and once the corn was introduced added a tsp. of red chilly powder as well!

 Once it softened, added salt to taste and the drained muringele (drumstick leaves)

 Trust me this was a match made in heaven. I thought the combo was good and extremely healthy and tasty.

 There was a slight crunch along with the softness of the leaves. If you would like to add a handful of grated coconut and make a thoran/poriyal you can do so. I have avoided the coconut and did the dish sans it.

 To be had as an accompaniment with rice.

I seriously wonder how kids/grown ups without siblings feel. It is something I couldn't ever imagine! More sibling revelry in future posts! The following is a song I love a great deal, just felt it was apt and related for this post as we siblings came from the same womb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn6An7yaz-Y

RIP Uncle Thomas! "just the other day he was walking about in good spirits praising his Lord and singing hymns and blessing youngsters preparing for their exams" and today he lies in a mortuary in ice awaiting the last rites to be performed by your children. "His Lord has taken him without any suffering as he was a good man who prayed for others!" said many who were present at your home when I visited.