MENTHYA/ METHI / FENUGREEK SPROUTS SALAD

Menthya sprouts??!! How can one eat these bitter seeds?? I know, this is the reaction of whoever has not tasted this salad! But, it is a wonderful tasting salad, very good for health too. You have to eat this to believe it! Preparing this easy too, but needs a little bit of advanced planning because I have noticed that these seeds take more time to sprout compared to our usual green gram sprouts. I can say, you soak it approximately 2 days before you plan to make this.

I am sure you would love the lovely flavour of Menthya minus its bitterness.

You need to take:

Menthya/Methi seeds                            ½ cup

Water                                                     2 cups

Salt                                                        ½ teaspoon

Lemon juice                                           1 teaspoon

Grated carrot(optional)                          2 or 3 tablespoons

Grated coconut                                      2 tablespoons

Peanuts crushed                                    2 or 3 tablespoons

For seasoning:

Oil                                                          2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds                                       1 teaspoon

Black gram                                             2 teaspoons

Ingu/ asafoetida                                     2 pinches

Curry leaves                                           3 or 4, cut into pieces

Green chilies chopped                           1 teaspoon 

Coriander leaves chopped                     2 tablespoons

Procedure:

Soak menthya seeds overnight in water. Next morning drain it completely and store in a plastic box and keep in a warm place. It is a good idea to toss it once or twice a day . So, better keep it in such a place that you notice it whenever you enter the kitchen or else you may forget it :) . By next day, you can see small sprouts shooting out. Leave it for one more day or two, tossing it, till the sprouts are about 3mms. long.  

Or

You can even tie the soaked seeds in a thin cloth. You can just open twice a day and check if they have sprouted.

When  ready, sprinkle salt  and keep aside.

Roast peanuts and crush them to small pieces and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard. When it sputters, add black gram  and fry till golden brown. Add  cut curry leaves, chopped green chillies, ingu, one tablespoon of coriander leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add in sprouted menthya. Add  salt and mix well. Simmer the flame and leave for about two minutes, stirring in between. Mix in grated carrot and turn off the flame. Add lemon juice. Mix well and then add roasted peanuts and grated coconut  and mix well.  Garnish with rest of chopped coriander.

HESARU KAALU- MOONG SPROUT

Sprouted moong is a very common item in our kitchens as an ingredient to make salads, as you know.  Since it is such a healthy food item, I was just  wondering how to make a more interesting salad out of it.  Most important for me was that the raw smell of the sprout should go. So I tried this method and it so happened that the consistency of the sprouted moong also changed for better! So, try this. I am sure you will love it!

Ingredients:

Sprouted moong                                     1 cup

Salt                                                         1 teaspoon                              

Roasted peanuts                                    1 tablespoon (crushed)

Grated carrot(optional)                           1 tablespoon

Grated coconut                                       1 tablespoon

Lemon juice            

                             

For seasoning:

Oil                                                           1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds                                        1/2 teaspoon

Ingu/hing/asafoetida)                              1 pinch

Green chily                                             1 (finely cut)

Coriander leaves                                    1 tablespoon (chopped)

Procedure:

Heat oil in a  kaDai. Add mustard seeds. When they sputter add cut chilies, hing and chopped coriander leaves. Join in the sprouted moong and salt, and immediately turn off the flame. (By doing so, the moong stays crisp and this is what gives that special consistency for the dish). Stir well. Keep the kaDai closed for a few minutes. When cool add grated carrot, coconut, crushed peanuts and lemon juice and mix well. The dish is ready to serve!

By just doing this, the raw smell of the moong disappears and you can consume four times the usual quantity that you consume  This can even be more of a `between meal' very healthy snack than just a salad. Usually in mixed vegetable salads, the the proportion of sprouted moong is about one fifth  the quantity of vegetables. Here you may or may not use vegetables- choice is left to you!

A rare combination of nutrition and good taste :)

Try now!