Meet the moringa (malunggay in Filipino). Because we are Ilocano, my sister and I eat the fruit and flower of the moringa aside from the leaf. Most Filipinos limit themselves to the leaf.
I love using moringa because it is nutritious, and it has a delicious taste. And it lends itself beautifully to soups. And for those shifting to vegetarianism, one of the frequent problems is finding vegetarian soup. We think it's difficult making vegetarian soup because we are have been conditioned to use meat stock.
Here is our recipe for moringa, squash, camote soup. it's so easy to make, even a those who can't cook can't possibly mess this up.
2 cups moringa leaves
1 wedge squash peeled and sliced thinly
1 medium camote peeled and sliced thinly
half an onion sliced
3 cloves garlic crushed and peeled
salt to taste
vegetable oil for sauteing
5 cups water
(01) Heat vegetable oil in a pot.
(02) Lower heat and saute onions until they start turning brown.
(03) Add the garlic and saute until they become fragrant.
(04) Add squash and camote slices and stir.
(05) Pour in water and increase the heat.
(06) Boil the camote and squash until tender. We want the squash and camote to start disintegrating. you can help them along by mashing the squash and camote with the back of a spoon.
(07) Add moringa leaves and simmer for two minutes.
(08) Season with salt.
-----------
moringa illustration from Fray Blanco's Flora de Manila
