Health professionals are increasingly stressing on the advantages of eating sprouts, which are easy to digest, low in calories and rich in nutrients. Soaking and sprouting improves the nutritional value of the beans, nuts, seeds or grains.
It’s easy to make sprouts an essential part of our diet. They are a great addition to soups, salads, curries, pulao etc. Protein- and vitamin-rich sprouts give a healthy twist to many tiffin items too. Here are a few recipes.
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Mixed sprouts: 250 gm
Rice: 1 cup
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Broken wheat: 1 cup
Red chillies: 6
Asafoetida: A pinch
Oil: For cooking
Salt: To taste
Method
Soak the rice and broken wheat for two hours. Then mix all the ingredients (mixed sprouts, chillies, asafoetida and salt) and grind them in a mixer. The paste must be smooth. Prepare the dosa on a non-stick tava with a little oil. Serve with chutney.
Sprouts Bhel
Ingredients
Mixed sprouts (soaked, boiled and drained): 1 cup
Thick puffed rice: 2 cups
Boiled and chopped potatoes: 2 tbsp
Finely chopped green chillies: 1 tsp
Finely chopped raw mangoes: 2 tsp
Mixed, chopped tomatoes and cucumber: Quarter cup
Chopped coriander leaves: A handful
Chaat masala: For garnishing
Salt: To taste
Method
In a big bowl, combine sprouts with all the ingredients mentioned and mix well. Sprinkle chaat masala and serve immediately.
Sprouts Pizza
Ingredients
Whole wheat chapattis: 4
Grated cheese: Half cup
Oil: For cooking
For topping Oil: 1 tsp
Finely chopped garlic: 1 tsp
Finely chopped onion: Quarter cup
Broccoli or cauliflower florets, blanched: Half cup
Bean sprouts: Half cup
Carrots, chopped: Quarter cup
Capsicum, thinly sliced: 1
Corn flour paste dissolved in quarter cup water: 2 tsp
Sugar: A pinch
Pepper powder: Half tsp
Chilli sauce: 2 tsp
Salt: To taste
Method
For preparing mixture, heat oil in a pan, add garlic and sauté on maximum flame for a few seconds. Add the onions, capsicum, broccoli, bean sprouts, carrots and sauté on a medium flame for two or three minutes. Add corn flour paste, sugar, salt, pepper powder, chilli sauce and simmer till sauce thickens, stirring in between. Divide the mixture into equal portions and keep aside. Heat a non-stick pan, add a little oil and place a chapatti on it. Spoon the mixture on to the chapatti. Top it with grated cheese. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low flame till the chapatti is crisp and the cheese has melted.
Sprouts Halwa
Ingredients
Whole green sprouts (moong): 500 gm
Sugar: 500 gm
Ghee: 4 cups
Milk: 6 cups
Mawa: 200 gm
Green cardamom, powdered: 3 small
Cloves: 3
Cinnamon stick: 1
Cashew nuts, sliced: 100 gm
Method
Grind moong sprouts into a coarse paste. Heat ghee and fry cloves, cinnamon. Add dal paste, cook on a medium flame till golden brown. Add milk and cook. When milk dries, add sugar and simmer. Add mawa, and fry till the ghee separates. Add cardamom powder. Garnish with sliced cashew nuts. Serve hot.