Mixed Sprouts Curry

Mixed Sprouts Sabzi/Vegetable

We joined the race. Long back though. But in order to revive the spirit of the so-called rat race I plunged again into a foray of ‘healthy food’. So I make greens one day, sprouts the next. Give porridge for dinner to sulky faces and sell squash soup as ‘the tastiest’ thing on earth. Yes, God gave them all a good mind of their own. Who am I trying to fool? sigh! I think I am just convincing myself that if I cook healthy, my family would be far from disease, pain and suffering. Ah, well.

So in those times when I go manic with my cooking, the family sorts out the yummy from the yucky. Some of the healthier stuff actually does taste good (please ask Elaine of foodbod.. she eats healthy ALL the time! I envy you Elaine 🙂 ), like this sprouts curry I made the other day.

Sprouted and ready

I mostly always mix all my beans/lentils to sprout. Its never only mung beans or only dew beans. A handful of mung, some dew beans(mat/moth), throw in some small black chick pea, a bit of dried white peas or anything you like! Soak overnight. Drain the water. Tie them all in a muslin cloth, sprinkle water over the tied cloth basket. Keep it for a day or two and let them germinate!

Mixed Sprouts

You can have them raw or cooked. I go the mid way usually. Cooking them a little bit till the raw smell and taste disappears but retaining the crunch. If you want to know more about sprouts, read here.

With Chappathis, pickle and salad

The Recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup mixed sprouts
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• a piece of ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp chopped green chilies – optional
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder or as desired
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• juice of 1/2 a lime, salt to taste
• coriander leaves to garnish

Method

In a wok/kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Throw in the garlic, onions, ginger and green chilies. Saute till the onions turn translucent. Now add the tomatoes along with all the said spices. cover and cook till the oil starts to leave the sides of the wok. This may take about 10 minutes or so. Now add the sprouted lentils. sprinkle 2-3 tsp of water. Cover and cook till the sprouts are half done. I like mine not very mushy, so I add the sprouts in the end, but you could add it earlier in case you like them fully cooked.

Switch the flame off. Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve as a salad or with chappathis or with any pulao or simple plain hot steaming rice.

Simple Nutritious lunch

Now for a note of caution:
Germinated raw food does not usually suit everyone. People suffering from gastric problems can get very uncomfortable after a small bowl of sprouts. Cooking the beans is easier to digest.

I suffer from migraine, and whenever I eat sprouts for dinner or raw, I end up with a splitting headache. Whereas, cooking the grains, having them during the day and combining them with garlic and ginger helps me get the best of everything that they have to offer 🙂

Try a bite

This curry passed the acid test with my family’s taste buds. You try it too and if they don’t like it… well, I have some other recipes up my sleeve to include these wonder beans in your daily diet. 😉

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In Season – Fresh Whole Red Chilies for Hummus and a Creamy dip

“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

In Season

‘Go seasonal’, I can almost hear her saying this. Her words ring every time I’m in a market. My grandmum always bought produce which was in season and available in plenty. She never went looking for stuff that was ‘there when it should not be’.

For one they are grown naturally, not adulterated or processed. Hence they are more nutritious, less expensive and of course simply yummy!

Now, winters being my most favorite season, comes armed with a host of gifts. Fresh colorful fruits and vegetables hound the market. The wares sit gleaming, uninhibited and inviting in all their natural glory. I usually go mental in times like these. Making it a point to try most of the produce finds me visiting the farmers market every other day.

So on that note, I introduce to you fresh red whole chilies or peppers. They are pretty to look and not very hot at all. You can do so much with them! Like make poppers or dips or pickle them or add them in your rice, make hot sauce..

I treated them like red bell peppers, threw some into my fried rice, once simply sautéed in oil and spiced it with turmeric, salt and coriander powder(yummy!), made some roasted pepper hummus and a creamy corn red chili dip.
Wanted to make poppers but found no takers for it, slit red peppers, stuffed with a creamy potato filling, topped with some cheese and baked till golden – sounds ethereal right?! Um.. not to guys back home. Well, I stuck to dips and other usual stuff. We’ll save the poppers for some other time.

Roasted Red chili Hummus

Creamy Corn Chili Dip

ROASTED RED CHILIE/PEPPER HUMMUS

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

To make a cup of hummus:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chickpeas, wash and soak in water overnight
• Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp
• Olive oil – 2 tbsps
• Fresh whole red chilies – 2
• Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
• Garlic -2, roast in a tsp of olive oil and lightly crush
• Cayenne pepper – 1/2 tsp – to be used only if the fresh red chilies are very mild.
• Roasted cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
• Yoghurt/curd – 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook chick peas along with the water until soft. Drain the chick peas and keep aside. Reserve the water also.
Dry roast sesame seeds on low flame for 2-3 mts and turn off flame.
Place a skewer into each of the red chilie peppers and roast over low flame till the skin is charred or blackened. Peel. Place the peeled roasted peppers in a bowl and keep aside.

Heat a small pan, add 2 tsps olive oil and roast garlic for a mt till light brown. Turn off heat and cool.

In a mixer grinder, add drained chickpeas, roasted red chilies, garlic, sesame seeds, olive oil, yoghurt and grind to a fine paste. Add lemon juice, cumin powder, cayenne pepper or chili powder and salt and grind again till well blended. It should be a smooth and creamy paste.

Remove to a serving bowl. Drizzle some olive oil on top with a sprinkle of red chili flakes and serve with pita bread, crackers or sliced vegetables like carrot or cucumber.

Best with some crackers

We snacked on it with some dry crackers and bread. Yummy!

Healthy snacking

CREAMY CORN CHILIE DIP

Creamy Corn Chili Dip

Ingredients

• 2 red chilie peppers, minced or chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 2 pods of garlic, minced – I used fresh green garlic with stems
• 1 tiny piece of ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, minced – I just threw this in for some color contrast 😉
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp cheese, grated – optional
• salt to taste
• red chili flakes – optional

Method

Heat oil, saute garlic, ginger, and onions till they turn translucent. Throw in green bell pepper, corn and red chili peppers. Fry well for a minute. Sprinkle flour. let it coat evenly, quickly add milk and keep stirring till the milk thickens into a creamy sauce covering the veggies. Add seasoning and salt. If using cheese, mix it in now. Give it a final mix. The consistency is that of a semi thick dip, like mayonnaise.

Cool. Serve it with crackers or toasted bread or with some pita. Try it in sandwiches or wraps. Yummy. Certified.

Best with some bread

So she is highly opinionated, fearless, immensely emotional(read: cry baby), scathingly critical but yet very very lovable. Amassing amma’s prized concoctions and her million dollar tips and tricks has always been on my never ending to-do list.

If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.

~Linda Henley