Mung Sprouts

It's true... You'll never get to know how easy it is, without trying by your own!!! I find myself sprouting often since I got to know the perfect process of doing it...

I have taken mung beans here, which is the quickest one possible :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup mung beans
3 cups hot water

METHOD:

- Soak mung beans of your choice in hot water for 5-6 hours
- Drain all water out of it and transfer it to a big bowl.
- Cover with a damp cloth and keep it in warm place for 24 hours.

SJ's NOTE:

- Sprinkle some water on a damp cloth when it dries out.

- Major keys to use "Mung Sprouts" are:

• Make kebabs / tikkis
• Add in different chinese varieties i.e. hakka noodles, fried rice etc.
• Toss as a salad with dressing made of lemon juice, salt and pepper! 
• Cook as a side-dish with very little of spices... 

Veggie Casserole

A simple and homely casserole without a long list of ingredients!!! Any vegetables of your choice, ready made / home-made sauce and that's all... Good food is never that complicated to make :)

Serves: 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium-sized potatoes
10-12 thin slices of eggplant
1 small carrot
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup capsicum (chopped)
1/2 cup cheese (I used mix of parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar)

For Sauce:
1 cup chopped tomato
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp olive oil

METHOD:

- Heat olive oil in a pan and add onion, garlic. Saute it for a while and add chopped tomato.
- Add rest of all ingredients and cook it for around 5 mins to make a sauce consistency.
- Transfer the sauce to another bowl and keep aside.
- Thinly slice potatoes and carrot. Parboil both of them with salted water for 3-4 mins. Drain it and transfer to a bowl.
- Grease a baking bowl with few drops of olive oil and arrange potato slices at bottom.
- Pour some sauce over it and likewise arrange a layer of eggplant and carrot slices.
- Sprinkle green peas and chopped capsicum at every layer with a pinch of salt.
- Pour remaining sauce over the last veggie layer and sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake it in preheated oven on 200° for around 40-45 mins.
- Serve hot... :)

SJ's NOTE:

- Best to serve with butter-herb rice.
- Keep eggplant slices in a salted water all the time before use, to avoid them turning black.

Sprouts Tikki

It I Talk about my mum, I can firmly say tat she will always find out different ways to feed me maximum of protein!!! And if it comes to be anything using sprouts, I simply love it :) "Sprouts Tikki" is the one I got to learn from her... A very tasty and protein-rich replacement of evergreen Aloo Tikki!!!   

INGREDIENTS:

4 cup Mung sprouts

1 tbsp Ginger-Green Chillies paste

1 tsp Chickpea flour (Besan)

2 tbsp Grated Onion

1 tbsp Lemon juice

2 tsp Chopped coriander

1 tsp Coriander powder

Salt to taste 

Oil

METHOD:

- Grind mung sprouts (preferably without water) and keep it in a bowl.

- Add grated onion & besan (add a little more besan, if unable to form tikki shape). 

- Add rest of all ingredients and mix well.

- Heat some oil in flat pan & shallow fry tikkis.

- Serve hot with green chutney.

Star Spring Salad

Rarely used "Star Fruit" gives a very different sweet & tangy flavor to this salad. Best for kids if served as tiny lettuce wraps. Here it goes:

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup bean sprouts* 

1/2 cup chopped starfruit

1/4 cup boiled corn

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 tsp finely chopped coriander

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp mustard sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp minced garlic

Pinch of black pepper powder

Salt to taste

METHOD:

- Take a big slice of red bell pepper and grease both the surfaces with a drop of olive oil.

- Roast it on direct gas-flame and chop it in small chunks.

- Mix all bean sprouts, boiled corn and red bell pepper in a bowl. Add chopped starfruit and coriander and mix well.

- Take all ingredients of dressing in a small bowl and whisk it for a minute.

- Arrange few lettuce leaves in serving bowl. Mix salad and dressing well and transfer it in a serving bowl.* 

- Garnish with slices of starfruit and mustard sauce.

SJ's NOTE:

* I used a combination of adzuki, chickpeas, mung beans, peas. Ready-to-use sprouts are available but to make it in-house: Soak all beans of your choice in hot water for 5-6 hours and then drain all water out of it. Cover a bowl with damp cloth and keep it in a warm place for 36-48 hours. 

* Alternatively you can serve it as tiny lettuce parcels with salad inside.

Sending it to Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey: