Since returning from Kerala, I've been going sprouted lentil salad crazy. Many of the restaurants my wife and I visited had a great and colourful selection of sprouted beans and lentils that could be added to salads.
One of my favourite salads I had there was this sprouted moong lentil salad.
These sprouts are also often cooked into curries or made into kofta. Watch this space. I have many more recipes using sprouted lentils and beans for you.
Although this sprouted moong lentil salad recipe serves 4 to 6, there is a good chance you will have some left over. A little really goes a long way.
No worries there though. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days and just seems to get better with time. I love having this healthy lentil salad on hand.
The most difficult part of this lentil salad recipe is waiting for your sprouts to be ready. It takes about four days but it's all passive work so just wait it out.
The sprouts can be served raw but some people find the raw flavour a little bitter. I like it but here I suggest boiling the sprouted moong for 5 minutes and then draining. This will get rid of the bitterness.
HOW TO SPROUT MOONG LENTILS
Rinse about one cup whole green moong lentils under water and then place in a large plastic bottle.
Pour fresh water in and soak overnight. The following day, make about 20 small holes in the bottle with a sharp knife above the soaking lentils.
This will allow air in and also make it easier to drain water. Pour the water out and then place the bottle in a warm location but not in direct sunlight.
On the next day, pour some more water over the lentils in the bottle and drain again. Do this for the next three days and watch those sprouts grow. On day four, cut off the top of the bottle and you've got healthy sprouts that will keep in your fridge for about a week.
What to serve this unique salad with?
This lentil salad is delicious on its own. It also works great as a garnish for curries. I like to make hot homemade naans and top them with kebab meat, paneer or seafood garnished with these delicious greens.
Moong Sprout Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sprouted moong lentils (about 300g)
- 1 tbps rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 dried red Kashmiri chillies
- 10 curry leaves - fresh or frozen
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Juice of one lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tomatoes - diced small
- 1/2 cucumber - diced small
- 1 green chilli - finely chopped
- 1 red onion - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander - finely chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Check the sprouted moong for any lentils that did not sprout and remove them. Rinse the sprouts in a colander. Let the water drain. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and simmer the sprouted moong for about 5 minutes. This is optional. The sprouts can be eaten raw but they can be too bitter for some people. The cooking takes the bitterness away.
- Drain the cooked sprouted moong and put aside.
- In a small pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and when they begin to crackle, add the the dried red chillies and curry leaves. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cumin seeds and turmeric. After a minute, turn off the heat.
- Pour this flavoured oil into a mixing bowl and whisk in the minced garlic, lemon juice and ground cumin. Taste this dressing and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Add the sprouted moong and the diced tomatoes, cucumber and chopped onion. Toss this well and check for seasoning. Garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro.
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