Greengram Sprouts Raita

This is a simple raita you can put together under five minutes. Also the following recipe that I got from M's aunt is pretty basic one.  Feel free to add any other ingredients that you think are a good addition to this raita.

What you do:
Add salt (according to taste) to a cup of yogurt and slightly whisk with a fork to get a uniform consistency. Then add a handful of greengram sprouts and finely chopped tomato to it. Sprinkle some garam masala / chat masala and mix.
Home made or store bought yogurt can be used. Fat free variety will do.

This goes to
1. Susan's MLLA, guest hosted by Ruchika this month.
2. Silpa's Vegetable Marathon - Beans.

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Greengram Sprouts Salad

Here is a simple salad which can be be part of a meal or can be eaten as a snack. I have given the measurements just as a guideline and they can be altered according to one's need.

What you would need for 2-3 servings:
1 cup greengram sprouts
1 small sized onion
1 small sized tomato
Salt to taste
Juice extracted from half of a lime / lemon
Chat masala / Garam masala / Ground pepper to taste 

Finely chop the onion and tomato and add them to the sprouts.  Sprinkle salt and chat masala / the spice of your choice. Squeeze the lemon juice. Mix well and serve.
Chat masala and garam masala, the warming spice mix from Northern India are sold in Indian grocery shops.

This is going to be a part of
My legume love affair guest hosted by Rachel and the event creator is Susan.
No cook event hosted by Padmajha and
Show me your salad hosted by Divya.

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Greengram Sprouts Subzi

Here is a simple yet nutritious sprouts subzi which can be prepared in a jiffy. Just for a change, I added sambhar powder to the dish and ended up with a new, delightful flavor. Serve this healthy side dish with rotis / pooris / tortillas.

Ingredients:
Green gram sprouts - 1 cup
One big onion & one tomato, chopped
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Chili powder - 3/4 to 1 tsp
Salt
Oil - 1 or 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds & cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp each

Cooking:
Heat oil in a small wok / pan and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add onions and fry it till turns translucent and then add tomatoes. Fry till the tomatoes turn into a mush.
Mean while, add a little water to the green gram sprouts and cook them in a MW for a minute or two. Add this cooked sprouts, salt, sambhar & chili powders and a little water to the above tomato - onion mixture. Simmer this mixture on a low to medium flame for a couple of minutes. Turn off the stove. (If you have not cooked sprouts in the MW earlier, cook for somemore time till the sprouts are well cooked).

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Sprouting In The Dark

Sprouting is a way of increasing the nutrient value and digestability of beans, seeds and nuts. Sprouts are the most nutrient dense food on earth. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins and phytochemicals, as these are necessary for a germinating plant to grow. They are also rich in nutrients essential for human health. On wikipedia, there is a long list of seeds, beans and nuts, which can be sprouted. Kidney bean sprouts however are toxic and so, should be avoided.(source: wiki)

I have been following the method of sprouting in the dark, from the past few years and enjoy the crunchy sprouts all through the year. I usually sprout green gram (mung beans), garbanzo beans (chana), red chori beans, which are my favorites.

For 1/4 cup of green gram soaked, you will have about a cup of sprouts. Here is (an example of) how I do the sprouting.

• Sunday night: Before you go to sleep, soak the mung beans in plenty of water in a bowl.
• Monday morning: Throw away the water used to soak the beans. Sprouting would have already started. Wash the beans with fresh water twice or thrice without rubbing the beans much. Drain all the water and cover the bowl and keep it in a dark, warm place such as an oven (turned off).

Soaked green gram by morning. Sprouting already started.

• Monday night: Take out the bowl from the oven and add water to the beans and drain it. Again cover the bowl and put it back in the dark place.
• Tuesday morning: Your sprouts would be ready.

Sprouted green gram

Note: For red chori beans, follow the above process but it will take a few hours more. So on tuesday morning, add water, drain and again put them back in the oven (or a dark place). You will have your sprouts ready by evening. Also the broiler burner we have may be playing an active part in the sprouting process.

Refrigerate the sprouts and use as required.

Sprouted red chori beans

Recipes with sprouts will be posted soon.

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