I love making Drumstick Curry at home when there are fresh Sajne data available. As I grew up eating basic vegetable dishes with rice, this recipe really hits the spot. To make it, I use mustard oil, onions, tomatoes and some basic spices. I love eating the drumsticks and get all the soft flesh off. This is a basic dish, but one I never get sick of!
A Quick Look:
- Drumstick curry is a flavorful and aromatic dish that features the nutritious drumstick vegetable as its star ingredient.
- It tastes slightly tangy, earthy, and savory.
- The dish can be made in 40 minutes, which includes 15 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking time.
- Serve drumstick curry with steamed rice.
- Other alternatives to this dish are vegetable curry, lentil curry, paneer curry, egg curry, tofu curry, or mushroom curry.
The Ingredients:
- Drumstick or sajne data: 500 gm (cut, peeled & cleaned)
- Tomato: 1 (weighing 100 gm, finely chopped)
- Onion: 1 medium size (finely chopped)
- Ginger-garlic paste: 1½ tbsp
- Cumin seeds: ½ tbsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves: 10 gm
- Salt: 1 tbsp
- Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
- Water: 1 cup
How to Cook Drumstick Curry (Step by Step Images)?
1. Heat the wok and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and sauté them for two to five seconds until their aroma is released.
3. As soon as the cumin seeds start emitting their aroma, add the onions and fry everything well.
4. Now add the drumsticks to the wok after the onions have been fried.
5. Stir-fry the drumsticks with the oil and fried onions for 5 minutes until the raw smell completely disappears from the drumsticks.
(Pro tip: I stir the drumsticks regularly so they fry evenly without catching at the bottom.)
6. At this point, add ½ tbsp of salt and mix it well with all the ingredients.
7. Next, add the ginger-garlic paste. By now, the raw smell from the drumsticks should have dissipated. Stir-fry the drumsticks and ginger-garlic paste together for 1 minute.
8. Now, add all the powdered spices such as red chili, cumin, turmeric, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Stir-fry all the ingredients well.
9. While sautéing, add a little bit of water to prevent the masala from burning. Continue cooking the masala along with the drumsticks for 5 minutes.
10. When the sautéing is almost done, add the chopped tomatoes and cook them for two minutes. Once the tomatoes become mushy, add 1 cup of water and the remaining salt. Mix it well, cover the wok with a lid, and let it cook for 5 minutes.
(Pro tip: I keep the wok covered during simmering so the drumsticks cook through in the gravy.)
11. After 5 minutes, remove the lid. The Drumstick Curry is now ready. Add and mix freshly chopped coriander leaves to enhance the overall flavor. Cover it one final time, turn off the flame, and let it remain covered for 1 minute.
12. Transfer the Drumstick Curry in a bowl.
Explore Creative Ways
- I add potato wedges if I want a more filling meal.
- Sometimes I cook with panch phoron rather than using cumin seeds to give my dish more flavour.
- I added roasted sesame paste to the gravy a couple of times for a nutty flavour.
- If you want a richer and creamier drumstick curry, you may add a bit of coconut milk to it.
- In winter, I also add green peas to the drumsticks to make it sweeter.
Drumstick Curry Recipe Common Problems Solved
- Why are my drumsticks still fibrous?
- Using young, tender drumsticks will prevent you from having stringy drumsticks.
- Why does my ginger garlic paste have a strong raw taste?
- Give the paste a good minute to cook with the drumsticks in step 7 before adding in the ground spices.
- Why are the drumsticks difficult to eat?
- The drumsticks must be cut into bite-sized pieces, and any tough fibers on the outside must be removed.
- Why does my curry sometimes have a slight bitter taste?
- Make sure that the ground spices do not burn in the wok. Follow step 9 precisely.
Recipe Card:
Drumstick Curry
Ingredients
- Drumstick or sajne data: 500 gm cut, peeled & cleaned
- Tomato: 1 weighing 100 gm, finely chopped
- Onion: 1 medium size finely chopped
- Ginger-garlic paste: 1½ tbsp
- Cumin seeds: ½ tbsp
- Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: 1 tbsp
- Kashmiri red chili powder: 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves: 10 gm
- Salt: 1 tbsp
- Mustard oil: 3 tbsp
- Water: 1 cup
Instructions
- Heat the wok and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and sauté them for two to five seconds until their aroma is released.
- As soon as the cumin seeds start emitting their aroma, add the onions and fry everything well.
- Now add the drumsticks to the wok after the onions have been fried.
- Stir-fry the drumsticks with the oil and fried onions for 5 minutes until the raw smell completely disappears from the drumsticks. (Pro tip: I stir the drumsticks regularly so they fry evenly without catching at the bottom.)
- At this point, add ½ tbsp of salt and mix it well with all the ingredients.
- Next, add the ginger-garlic paste. By now, the raw smell from the drumsticks should have dissipated. Stir-fry the drumsticks and ginger-garlic paste together for 1 minute.
- Now, add all the powdered spices such as red chili, cumin, turmeric, and Kashmiri red chili powder. Stir-fry all the ingredients well.
- While sautéing, add a little bit of water to prevent the masala from burning. Continue cooking the masala along with the drumsticks for 5 minutes.
- When the sautéing is almost done, add the chopped tomatoes and cook them for two minutes. Once the tomatoes become mushy, add 1 cup of water and the remaining salt. Mix it well, cover the wok with a lid, and let it cook for 5 minutes. (Pro tip: I keep the wok covered during simmering so the drumsticks cook through in the gravy.)
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid. The Drumstick Curry is now ready. Add and mix freshly chopped coriander leaves to enhance the overall flavor. Cover it one final time, turn off the flame, and let it remain covered for 1 minute.
- Transfer the Drumstick Curry to a bowl.
