Malunggay/moringa.... vegetable/herbal edible

[manofthecoldland]

This popped up on my listings and I discovered my ignorance, but my wife informed me after I started researching it a bit. Apparently it is as common as kang kong, etc. It is a common food and medicinal tree here in the PI that I was ignorant of..... however when I did a forum 'search' I see that 6-8 years ago there were several interesting posting re it as a foodstuff.

When I texted a fellow local expat friend, he told me he eats it all the time.  Just wondering if any other forum members use and enjoy it in any of its many forms and uses.

[Mike J]

Yes, quite common here.  Very easy to grow, just cut off a branch and stick it in the ground.  We have a small tree growing in the garden.  Most folks will strip the leaves and use them to make soup.

[Dave Hounddriver]

6 hours ago, manofthecoldland said:

Just wondering if any other forum members use and enjoy it in any of its many forms and uses.

Called malungga yes, but I do not know it by the other name.  It grows at the side of the road like a weed and you can frequently see people picking it.  I used to like the seeds, which I ate until I found one full of ants.  Ants love them so if you want to eat the seeds you need to inspect for ants.  The seeds are bitter when you first put them in your mouth and then turn sweeter and sweeter the more you chew them.  Someone told me of their medicinal properties but I kept eating them for the taste . . until the ants.  Ants don't taste good.

[Old55]

My wife made tuna soup last night and Malungga was an ingredient. We can get it here in the States.

[OnMyWay]

5 hours ago, Old55 said:

My wife made tuna soup last night and Malungga was an ingredient. We can get it here in the States.

My wife uses it a lot.  We have one tree and it grows super fast.  Whenever there is a big wind storm approaching I have to chop it down to 4-5 feet instead of 12-15 feet, because it will bang on the house.  Grows back quickly.

[GeoffH]

We had malunga soup as a side dish with lunch today… the broth is fine but not fond of the leaves.

[jimeve]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:57 PM, GeoffH said:

We had malunga soup as a side dish with lunch today… the broth is fine but not fond of the leaves.

Wife puts it in with fish soup, she gave me some with a fish head looking up at me

[Mike J]

37 minutes ago, jimeve said:

Wife puts it in with fish soup, she gave me some with a fish head looking up at me

I refuse to eat anything on my plate that is looking back at me.