Malunggay Recipes for the DepEd School Feeding Program

This page presents the DepEd recipe book of standardized malunggay recipes, developed by the Department of Education’s Health and Nutrition Center (HNC) for the School Nutrition Program and school-based feeding. The book offers kitchen-tested recipes for hot meals, desserts, snacks, and drinks that use malunggay (moringa) from school gardens. It is meant for home economics teachers, school canteen managers, feeding coordinators, health and nutrition workers, PTCA members, and parents who cook for families at home.

On this page 7 sections

What the recipe book contains

According to the HNC foreword, the recipe book:

• Gives recipes for hot meals, desserts, snacks, and drink concoctions that use malunggay.
• Includes only recipes that have been kitchen tested.
• Presents each dish in the simplest way, with household measures and an estimated cost.
• Lists the nutritive value per serving for easy reference.

The book was prepared by the HNC with DepEd regional nutritionist-dietitians, with technical help from the staff of the FNRI (Food and Nutrition Research Institute) and inputs from writers, contributors, and consultants.

Why DepEd promotes malunggay for school feeding

Malnutrition is one of the major health problems DepEd addresses. The book cites DepEd’s statistical record for SY 2007-08: 21% of elementary pupils and 16% of secondary students in the country were malnourished, which affects learners’ academic achievement.

To respond, DepEd, through the Health and Nutrition Center, runs the School Nutrition Program. It covers nutrition education, supplementary feeding, food subsidy for school children and their families, capability building, food production, and nutrition advocacy. The book links these to the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program of the time.

One of these initiatives is Gulayan sa Paaralan (vegetable gardens in schools). It uses the school garden as a source of vegetables for school feeding and calls for planting at least 50 malunggay trees in each school. The malunggay recipes turn those garden yields into nutrient-rich meals and drinks for supplementary feeding.

Nutrition facts cited in the book

The book and the memorandum describe malunggay as one of the most nutritious plants, sometimes called the “miracle vegetable.” Citing the Department of Agriculture’s Biotechnology Program Office, the book says malunggay is rich in vitamins C and A, iron, and high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol). Gram for gram, the sources state that malunggay leaves contain:

• 2 times the protein of milk
• 4 times the calcium of milk (per the memorandum)
• 3 times the potassium of bananas
• 4 times the vitamin A of carrots
• 7 times the vitamin C of oranges (the memorandum’s figure; the introduction says an ounce of malunggay has the vitamin C of seven oranges)

The book also notes that malunggay strengthens the immune system and has medicinal properties.

How to prepare malunggay leaves for cooking

Good dishes start with good raw material, processed correctly. The book gives these guidelines.

A. Fresh foliage

• Pick leaves from plants that have not been sprayed with chemical pesticides. If the plants were sprayed with synthetic pesticides, wait at least two weeks after the last spray.
• Take the next three leaves below the apical bud (the youngest leaves, the growing shoot at the tip of a branch).

B. Post-harvest

• Bring the harvested leaves straight to the place where they will be air-dried. Air drying is recommended when the leaves will be stored for a while before use.
• If you want juice, process the leaves immediately, within about 15 minutes of harvest.
• To make juice, use a kitchen food processor or blender with a 1:1 ratio of leaves and water (for example, one cup of leaves to one cup of water). Strain through a very fine sieve or clean cloth.

C. Storage

Form	How to store	How long it keeps
Air-dried leaflets	Clean, dry, tightly sealed plastic bags, bottles, or canisters	About two months
Pan-roasted leaflets or powder	Clean, dry, tightly sealed containers	Six months or more
Juice, refrigerated	Clean jar or bottle in the refrigerator	No more than five days
Juice, frozen	In the freezer	At least one month

The book recommends using fresh juice right away when possible. It also notes that malunggay is now used to fortify foods, such as noodles, pastries, cookies, and other baked goods. Fortification means adding ingredients that improve a food’s nutritional value.

DepEd Memorandum No. 234, s. 2008: Planting of Malunggay Trees in Schools

The recipe book is tied to DepEd Memorandum No. 234, s. 2008, signed by then Secretary Jesli A. Lapus. It was addressed to bureau directors, regional directors, and schools division/city superintendents. Its main points:

1. School administrators should encourage planting malunggay trees in schools and communities, through Science classes and school-community outreach projects. This supports the Food for School Program and Gulayan sa Paaralan and sustains low-cost, nutritious in-school feeding.
2. The trees will supply ingredients for the malunggay recipes developed and standardized by the HNC. The recipe book will be distributed as a guide for home economics teachers, canteen managers, and PTCA members.
3. Regional directors are asked to give full support. The memo adds that malunggay trees are sources of oil and biofuel and could become an alternative source of income for schools.
4. Schools will work with the regional and provincial offices of the Bureau of Plant Industry for help with plant propagation, processing of leaves and fruits, and seeds, seedlings, or stem cuttings. This follows agreements between DepEd and the Department of Agriculture.
5. School health personnel should run an information campaign on the benefits of malunggay and help schools plant trees and use the leaves.

Forewords

The book opens with messages from DepEd officials of the time:

• Jesli A. Lapus, Secretary, called the recipe development a breakthrough in the School Nutrition Program. He linked it to Millennium Development Goal No. 1 and better nutrition, attendance, class participation, and completion.
• Thelma G. Santos, CESO IV, Assistant Secretary, called the book a milestone. She noted its use for home economics teachers, canteen managers, feeding coordinators, and parents, and its focus on food-poor areas and low-performing schools.
• Thelma R. Navarree, M.D., Officer-in-Charge, Health and Nutrition Center, described the book’s contents and its use for school feeding and family meals.

How to use this recipe book

• Teachers and canteen managers: Use the household measures, estimated costs, and nutritive values to plan feeding menus from school garden produce.
• Feeding coordinators: Pair the recipes with the school’s malunggay trees and Gulayan sa Paaralan harvests to keep supplementary feeding low-cost.
• Parents: Use the recipes at home for nutritious, affordable family meals.

For more on the feeding program, see the School-Based Feeding Program. For healthy food ideas, read Mga Masustansyang Pagkain (nutritious foods).

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