Sprouted Whole Green Mung Bean Salad

Sprouted lentils and beans come about often in my kitchen. At least once a week, a batch of it will be sprouting (unless I get lazy and skip a few weeks, of course), ready to be sprinkled on salads and wraps.

Adding a handful of fenugreek seeds along with lentils or beans to sprout is one of my favorites. Sprouted fenugreek brings a good amount of fiber, iron, and fantastic quality protein.

Of course, there is always the risk of harmful bacteria like salmonella and E.coli if the sprouts are not treated with care, but, the method I've been using so far seems to work all right.

In a glass jar, soak the moong beans and fenugreek seeds in water overnight. Drain and rinse, with as little touch by hands as possible. Place a piece of clean cheese cloth or netting on the mouth of the jar, and screw the jar ring in place. Allow to sit undisturbed in a cool dry place for 2 days, making sure to rinse and drain at least once a day to keep it moist and cool. No handling needed.


Once the sprouts are as mature as you prefer, simply drain well and refrigerate for daily use. I make it into this favorite salad right away and store the salad in the fridge. This makes a fantastic filler for wraps and pita pockets.

Ingredients
¼ cup finely diced cucumber
¼ cup finely diced onions
¼ cup finely diced raw mango
¼ cup finely diced colorful red/yellow/orange bell peppers
¼ cup finely diced firm tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
¼ cup finely chopped clean, fresh coriander leaves aka cilantro
2 medium green chilies, chopped finely (optional)
2 cups loosely packed mung bean and fenugreek sprouts
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste

Stir well and enjoy!

Lentil Sprouts Salad with Bok Choy and Bell Peppers

I don't do it as often as I'd like to - sprouting the lentils and beans, I mean. But, every once in a while, when I get a batch sprouted and ready, it is a giddying feeling. Yeah, it doesn't take much to make me giddy with excitement.

One part of it formed the base of a cobb or gado-gado style salad -- sauteed sprouts with just a casual arrangement of available veggies, with an eye to color, topped with a simple vinaigrette.

Another part of it went into adding the crunch in a standard pasta salad. And yet another portion was sauteed with greens - chard, kale, spinach - spiced and served warm with rice.

Hearty Lentil Soup

Brown lentils, onions, carrots, turnip greens, tomatoes and some Indian spices come together for this warm staple. As a boost, a handful of sprouted brown lentils are used for garnish in this Hearty Lentil Soup with Turnip Greens.

When possible, if I can plan ahead, I soak the lentils overnight, pressure cook in bulk and then freeze them in 1 cup portions for ease of use later. Thaw overnight in the fridge before use if preferred.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked brown lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup chopped turnip leaves (or more)
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned, if not in season)
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp hot chili powder (or cayenne pepper powder)
1 tbsp brown sugar (or agave nectar)
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 to 6 cloves, crushed or whole (if preferred, remove before serving)
1 star anise, whole
1 3-inch piece of Indian/Chinese cinnamon bark
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp canola oil
4 cups water or stock
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and spices, sauté
2. Add the lentils, tomatoes, carrots and greens, salt to taste, stock or water, cover and simmer till carrots are tender
3. Stir in lemon juice, taste and adjust flavors
4. If preferred, fish out the star anise, cloves, bay leaves, Indian Cinnamon before serving
5. Garnish with spring onions and sprouted brown lentils

Wild Rice with Mango, Bell Pepper and Sprouted Beans

Some mango, curry leaves, bell peppers, onions come together for this wild rich dish garnished with sprouted beans and spring onions.

Every once in a while I sprout some beans/lentils and sprinkle a handful on salads, soups etc. Moong beans and brown lentils are the most common ones I sprout.

Sometimes I use the default cheesecloth in colander method, or use the glass jar with screen lid method.

If screen lid is not handy, a piece of mesh cut out from the mesh bag the onions came in works; place it over a Mason™/Kerr™ canning jar, and fit it with a ring lid. If mesh bag is not handy, I get away with a piece of paper towel with perforations.

Simply soak the brown lentils overnight, drain, rinse, drain well; place in a glass jar fitted with screen lid and watch in sprout in 3 or 4 days. Rinse once a day and drain well.




Ingredients
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 medium-ripe mango (not too ripe, raw is fine)
a handful of curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp home-made ras al hanout (more or less)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, saué the onions, curry leaves, bell peppers with a pinch of salt and spices
2. Add the cooked wild rice, mango, brown sugar, stir well, adjust flavors to taste
3. Stir in lemon juice and garnish with spring onions and sprouted brown lentils before serving

fenugreek sprouts

Fenugreek (methi, vendhayam) is used quite a bit in my mom's kitchen - it is toasted and powdered with sambar powders and some other masala spice mix my mom keeps handy at home.

It has never been a favorite of mine until my post-partum days when it became my close friend. A tablespoon of fenugreek sprouts a day was an essential part of the post-partum diet that my mom put me on, as it is supposedly a galactagogue and a digestive aid. When I stopped nursing, it sort of fell out of my diet, but, I have started including it again now in small quantities.

Sprout it just like whole green moong beans sprouts: soak for an hour or so, drain in a cheesecloth-lined colander, cover, leave in cool dark place; rinse and drain once a day for 3-4 days and the sprouts are ready.

It has a bitter taste and is not easy to incorporate in recipes. So, I throw a handful of fenugreek sprouts in foods that I prepare anyway:

• in dosai batter: a handful of fenugreek sprouts mixed in with the batter makes it barely noticeable, while adding some health benefit
• knead some into roti or bathura dough and cook them as usual; alternately fenugreek leaves can be used (dry or fresh) in place of sprouts to make rotis - usually sold in stores as methi roti
• in sambar, kozhambu, parippusili and other curries - just thrown in a few tablespoonful of the sprouts while cooking the usual recipe
• toss a tablespoon in salads
• another favorite way to eat this from my post-partum diet is: crush 2-3 garlic cloves, sauté it in 1 Tbsp ghee, throw in a tablespoon of sprouted fenugreek to the pan and sauté that as well; adjust salt to taste; mix this concoction with some hot steamed basmati rice and enjoy!

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad

I like sprouting beans and seeds - something magical about the way the shoots emerge, reaffirming the beauty of life.

Last week I sprouted some moong beans (aka green gram). Very simple method, nothing fancy - it has worked for me so far, so, I stick to it:
--Soak the whole green moong beans for an hour or so in lukewarm water.
--Drain.
--Place in a canning jar
--Cover the jar with a piece of cheesecloth (or any thin porous cotton fabric, or netting fabric) to allow breathing, and screw the ring on the jar
--Rinse once a day and leave it in a cool dark place for a few days
--Voila!


Sprouted moong beans can be refrigerated and used for about 5-7 days. I like to add a handful to salads and vegetable dishes for the crunch and nutrition.

Ingredients:
1 cup sprouted moong beans
2 cups grated carrot
1-2 green chilies chopped fine
3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup diced raw green mango (optional)
salt to taste

tempering:
1 Tbsp chana dal
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp oil for tempering

Preparation:

1. heat oil in a smallish pan/ladle till the oil starts to shimmer; add the tempering: chana dal first, when it turns golden brown, add urad dal and when it is golden brown, add mustard seeds; keep a screen lid handy as mustard seeds will try to jump out of the pan; when mustard seeds splutter and die down, off heat add the curry leaves and set aside
2. combine all the salad ingredients; raw green mango adds a certain zing to this salad, so, if i have it handy, i just throw some in
3. adjust salt and lemon juice to taste; garnish with the tempering from step 1
4. serve cold or at room temperature, with roti or rice; or, simply enjoy it as a starter salad :-)

Alternately, just omit the carrots, sauté the sprouted moong beans and add lemon juice and salt to taste; garnish with the tempering and Ta-Da! Another healthy salad/side ready:


Sometime I just throw a handful in any of my curries or even in sambar to up the nutritional value.