Thursday, August 7, 2014

Drumstick flower

Liked the way this single stalk of Orchid stood out, braving the rain and the strong breeze.


Had been for a short visit to Kerala and the heavy rains kept us indoor most of the time but from the window one can see some interesting things, like this irumban puli (Averrhoa bilimbi)


They are good as a substitute for tamarind or tomato in an emergency. They are easy to pluck as they grow low – on the trunk of the tree.


Another view from the window is this big bunch of banana.


We may have to wait for another month to cut it down, but there is no harm in cutting its flower (some call it Banana hearts)  We did just that and made it into a lovely curry. (the flavour resembles that of the artichoke


A close look at this rope showed some busy ants. When I followed their trail, I found that they were building their home in one of the low slung trees. We humans can learn a few things by observing their team work. 


I spied these flowers on the drumstick tree.



Always liked the side dish that was prepared from the drumstick flower. So I collected as much as I could, and carefully removed the flowers and segregated them.


These were properly washed and soaked.


After draining the water they were sauted on slow fire. Added some grated coconut and further sauted them.

The end result was really sumptuous.


Drumstick flowers prevent frequent infection of the throat, chest and the skin.
(all pics clicked in and around the house)


Next post - some more on the Kerala trip. 

29 comments:

Christine said...

interesting post!

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Drooling now..... I love drumstick but had not come across the flower dish before! YAM xx

Anonymous said...

Hi Joe,
Thanks for sending those beautiful pictures. At least I could get to cherish the lil things thru your eyes. Do you know something? there is always a bunch of bananas waiting for mum & dad..... & the vazha poovu thoran. I have never made drumstick flower thoran ... that looked delicious. - Anna

S. Susan Deborah said...

Dear Joe:

Thanks for directing me here. When we go to Kerala also we end up doing the same thing - observe the world outside from our window and I must say that we are never ever bored. I can imagine how you would have felt looking at these life forms from your lens. I was wondering why the post was titled, "drumstick flower" and only when I reached the end of the post, my curiosity was answered.

Looking forward to the rest of the pictures as well.

Joy always,
Susan

Sharmila said...

Lovely snaps. as always. Hope to visit Kerala one day. My ma used to make a dish of drumsticks flowers with grated coconut ... been ages since I tasted it last.

Sharmila said...

Absolutely love that photograph of the ant.

Shivani Singh said...

Haddock hey loved all the pics...especially the ant one but i wonder if that aunt ( the one that prepared bisebele) or you could pass the drumstick flower recipe too...looks exotic...sounds interesting. Remember eating it too and i know the net is always there but i want it...from u..ur way...the bisi bele way.
That puli looks green...does it assume a dark color later? Is it the same thing as Kodampuli??? Do let me know because what i got a whole jar of it to put in my fish curry to get that flavor was dark in color. Which not only added the required amount of sourness to the curry but also imparted a particular flavor,smell and color to the meen curry.

Augustine Xavier said...

Thanks Joe, lovely pics. Enjoyed reading.

Sharad Kulkarni said...

Joey...
I take it as my privilege not to thank you every time. Your blogs are stupendous and along with those equally beautifful snaps. I AM THANKFUL TO YOU FOR HAVING KEPT ME IN YOUR MAILING LIST.
I ALWAYS THANK YOU FOR EACH OF YOU BLOG..
Have a nice day..
Sharad

Haddock said...

Oh no Shivani, this does not turn dark. The kodampulli is something different and is used by mostly by south Indians especially for Fish curry. The other one is the Valampuli (Imli - tamarind) that is used in Sambhar etc.

orvokki said...

Lovely images.
You have beautiful and interesting plants there.
Have a happy weekend.

Poppy said...

Very interesting process, from start to finish!

Poppy

Lowell said...

Everything here, except the bananas, is rather exotic as far as my experience goes...I'd sure give that final product a try, though. Thanks for your comments!

MYSTELIOS said...

Very interesting post with so nice pictures and informations !!!
Also thank you for your kind comment in my painting blog. Very nice to meet you and see you again !!!

Ivy and Elephants said...

I loved your interesting post about the plants that are edible and how to prepare them. The banana hearts, so interesting! Thanks for sharing your world. I want to learn more.
New follower,
Patti

Shalet Jimmy said...

That was a refreshing post about Irumbam puli and muringa ....

Connie said...

Wonderful photos, Joe. I enjoyed seeing these.

Aathira said...

These pictures are making me hungry and nostalgic at the same time :) Especially the 'throran' and puli!

Anita Sabat said...

Love Drumsticks. Great to have Indian delicacy :)
Great pics & info.

Red Handed said...

You are in Kerala??????????????????
YAY!!!
Lovely pictures.
I am hungry..and I also feel like going for a walk.

Anonymous said...

Kerala is always a beauty by Nature and Taste. You have captured it wonderfully . Very interesting. Cheers to Kerala and Joe.

TOM

Amogha Rejeesh said...

Beautiful pics. Mouth-watering... Particularly the drumstick flower bowl on the grass. I remember having drumstick flower thoran only once in my entire life. What a superb dish it was!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comment you left on my blog. The cumin seeds had to be knife-grinded in the absence of mortar and pestle. I'd never heard of Drumstick flower, it sounds divine!

My blog-My Space said...

What a treat it was to read this...beautiful images and description. I will try this as I am die hard 'drumstick lover'!

Draffin Bears said...

Lovely pictures taken from around your home - all the green is so refreshing.
Happy day
Carolyn

T. Becque said...

Interesting and unique plants!

Anonymous said...

Really beautiful and interesting detailed photos and text. I learned a lot by reading your blog. Here's to the collaboration of humans and ants!

Anonymous said...

Hi Joe

I've voted for you in the Big Blog Exchange.

All the best,

Sara
http://inafricaandbeyond.com/

Rama Ananth said...

Lovely pictures. Kerala always seems to be very good during the rains