The Wonder Sprouts
Sprouts the tiny “live food” are certainly not tiny in their nutritional value. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber they render all the added benefits of vegetables and fruits alone. During the sprouting process, all the complex proteins and carbohydrates undergo enzymatic transmutation into simpler forms, thus making them easy to digest. Mostly green moong, black gram, dried peas, red chori, moth dal are eaten as sprouts. Green Moong sprouts are extremely popular in Chinese cuisine and also in the preparation of salads and sandwiches. Recently, I tasted a curry made out of them!
How to Sprout:
Thoroughly wash the dal and soak it overnight. Next morning, rinse and drain the dal. Wrap it loosely in a damp cheese cloth to allow some air circulation. Do not fill the container more than one-fourth so that the dal has enough room to expand during sprouting. Keep the container in a warm, dark place. Check for moisture daily and sprinkle it with few drops of water if it looks dry. The dal germinates and become sprouts in two or three days. Care should be taken to ensure that sprouts do not lie in water. They should be kept well drained to prevent souring. Sprouts retain their freshness and nutritional value for several days if kept in a refrigerator.
This is a very simple sprout dal salad we usually eat as a snack with our evening tea.
How to Sprout:
This is a very simple sprout dal salad we usually eat as a snack with our evening tea.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup sprouted green moong dal (raw or boiled)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 green chili thinly chopped
- 1 potato boiled and cubed
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp chaat masala
- 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 tsp coriander chutney (optional)
- 1tsp sweet tamarind chutney (optional)
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
- 1 cup haldiram’s navratan mix or any namkeen of your choice (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Place sprouts with 3-4 tbsp of water in microwave for 3-5 minutes to cook them. Drain the water if any and let it cool for a few minutes.
- Add all the ingredients to it except the namkeen and mix well. Adjust the spices and salt. Add the namkeen just before serving for crunchiness. Enjoy!
