Sprouting is a common practice in India and there are a number of vegetarian dishes made with sprouts, grated coconut and other ingredients– a popular recipe called ‘Sundal’ made this way is also served in Hindu temples as an offering to God.
I remember a simple, black chickpea dish made by the priest at a temple back home in India that I visit even now. It is made with sprouted and steamed black chickpeas sautéed with mustard seeds with a pinch of salt and some lime. Delicious!
What can you sprout?
While mung beans are my favorite, I sprout most whole legumes. Black eyed peas, garbanzo, black chana, green chana, whole black gram and so on. Only sprouted mung can be eaten raw; the rest need to be cooked before consuming.
My favorite way to sprout
Ever since I discovered the sprouting jar I realized how easy it is to sprout. Just wash the mung beans (or legumes), soak for 10-12 hours in water using the sprouting jar (make sure the water level is above the legumes). Drain. Place the sprouting jar in a horizontal (not upright) position in your pantry or on your kitchen counter. Wait for a day, rinse the grains, drain and place the jar back in the pantry. Depending on the temperature of your house, you will see sprouts anywhere from 24-48 hours.
The mistake I used to make earlier (before I got the sprouting jar), was not draining the water. I would keep looking every day at the sprouts soaked in water and wonder why they were not sprouting. Now I know. It’s amazing how fast sprouting happens when done the right way!
Spicy Tangy Sprouts Carrots Salad
I don’t consider myself a ‘salad person’. Given a choice I prefer cooked food over raw food, but this is one salad I would make an exception for. I like that this salad has fresh green chili peppers, lime and tadka (seasoning), to give it that extra dash of flavor. This is a great summer dish.
Experts estimate that there can be up to 100 times more enzymes in sprouts than uncooked fruits and vegetables. Research shows that during the sprouting process mung beansprouts (or just beansprouts, as they are often called) increase in vitamin B1 by up to 285%, vitamin B2 by up to 515%, and niacin by up to 256%. This salad is a good way to get the nutritional benefits while enjoying a tasty snack.
Check out some of our other yummy sprouts recipes:
- Sautéed Sprouts and Vegetables
- Green Mung Sprouts Curry
- Zesty Carrot Garbanzo Usli
- Stir Fry Sprouts And Vegetables
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Spicy, Tangy, Sprouts & Carrots Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Mung Sprouts
- 1/2 Cup Carrots - Fine Cut
- 1 Green Chili Pepper - Small, Fine Cut
- 6 Curry Leaves
- 1/2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 Dry Red Chili
- 1/2 Teaspoon Lime Juice
- 1/2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt - Or to taste
Instructions
- Add sprouts to a bowl.
- Add carrots and chili peppers.
- Add lime juice, salt and mix well.
- Sautee seasoning ingredients for 2 minutes (curry leaves, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chili pepper).
- Add seasoning ingredients to the bowl.
- Mix well and eat fresh.
Looks very filling I would like to make this sale with mix beans.
The salad can you add water and temper I like hot food
Hi – yes, you can make this with sprouted mixed beans. Let us know how it turns out. Bon appetit!