Sprouted Mung Bhel ~ Moong Bhel Puri ~ Sprouted Mung bean salad

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Bhel puri is a popular fast food / street food in India. Every eatery, from the smallest snack shack to the largest restaurant offer this item on their menu. It is made with puffed rice, some veggies, a combination of sweet and spicy chutneys and some crunchy sev.  The description of this chaat definitely does not do justice to this yummy snack. No wonder than that bhel puri easily ranks among my most favorite chaat items.

Like most food, I find bhel puri too tastes much better when made at home. So from time to time whenever the mood for chaat strikes us, I make the conventional version of bhel puri at home,  but more often I make this sprouted mung beans version that is much more healthier. This is like a cross between aloo chana chaat and the traditional bhel puri, only with mung bean sprouts. This is a great way to enjoy bhel puri without the guilt. Once all the ingredients have been assembled, it can be rustled up real quick, making it perfect for weekends or other times when you are looking for something fun and healthy without wanting to spend too much time in the kitchen :) 

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Ingredients and Method to make moong bhel puri

1 and 1/2 cup sprouted and cooked mung beans (moong/ payaru ) ( see notes) to learn how to make sprouts, check out this post

1 small potato cooked, peeled and cut into small pieces (aloo)

2 Tbsp finely chopped onions (pyaaz)

2 Tbsp finely chopped tomatoes (tamatar)

1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania)

This Green chutney to taste

This Dates chutney to taste

Salt to taste (namak)

Sev to taste (crunchy fried chickpea flour fritters) (available in most Indian groceries, see notes for sub)

Assemble all the ingredients. In a large bowl, add sprouted and cooked mung beans, then add onions, tomatoes, potatoes, cilantro, the two types of chutney, salt to taste and mix well. Add sev and mix again. Serve immediately.

This quantity makes enough for 1 to 2. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled as required.

Notes:
If you like crunchy raw sprouts you can add them raw to this bhel too. I do that sometimes, but most times I like to cook the sprouts with very little water until it is slightly soft yet firm, then I cool it thoroughly and use in this recipe.

If you want to cut the calories from the sev, you can use baked potato sticks, or baked fries that are now available instead, just crush the fries/ sticks a little and sprinkle over the beans and you are set :)

If you are looking for other chaat/ snacks, here are few more,

Aloo Chana Chaat

Sev Puri

Masala Chana ~ Baked Crunchy chickpeas

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Quinoa Lentil Swiss Chard Soup

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When it comes to super foods, quinoa is most definitely a winner, at least  in my book.  Quinoa is full of nutrition, is a great source of protein and is so versatile that it works in a variety of recipes. So far I have  tried it in everything from dosas to khichdis , pulao and even payasam/ kheer. Recently for the first time I also tried quinoa in a soup for a weeknight dinner.  It worked out so well that I have already made this a couple more times already.

This soup is filling enough to be a one dish meal, just pair it with some crusty bread and you can have a complete meal. It can also easily double up as a curry and served over a bed of plain steamed rice or with some flat bread or phulkas / rotis.

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Ingredients and method to make Quinoa Lentil Swiss Chard soup

1/2 cup mung beans ( whole moong)

1/2 cup split red lentils ( masoor dhal)

2 packed cups red Swiss chard cut into small pieces

1/4 cup quinoa thoroughly rinsed and drained

1 red onion cut fine

2 medium tomatoes cut into small pieces

3 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut fine ( or to taste)

2 Tbsp oil ( I used coconut )

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

3/4 tsp garam masala ( or to taste) 

to know how to make your own garam masala check out this post

1/4 tsp chili powder (optional, or to taste)

1/2 cup coconut milk

Place mung beans in a bowl,fill with water, swirl with hand and drain. Fill with fresh water and soak mung beans in sufficient water for at least 3 hours. 

 Similarly place split red lentil/masoor dhal in a bowl, fill with water, swirl with hand and drain. Fill with fresh water and soak for 15 to 30 mins. 

Rinse quinoa thoroughly in cold water and drain. I usually place quinoa in a strainer and rinse under cold running water for about a minute or so.Prep all the other veggies. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add onion and sauté until it turns translucent. Add green chilies and ginger garlic paste and stir a few times. 

Add tomatoes and stir until it turns soft and mushy. Drain mung beans and add to the onion tomato mixture . Add a little water and allow it to cook until it softens a little.  After the mung softens just a little, add drained red lentils and quinoa. Add  Add 3 cups of water, salt to taste, garam masala and chili powder if using and simmer until the lentils and quinoa cook. Add swiss chard and simmer for a few more minutes, until the chard softens and cooks and the flavors of the soup mingle. 

Add coconut milk and mix well. Remove from heat and serve hot with bread of choice. 

This soup is versatile enough and can be served as either a curry with phulkas/ rotis/ Indian flat bread or as a dhal over a bed of plain steamed rice as well. 

If you are looking for quinoa recipes here are a few more,

Quinoa Khichdi ~ Peanut flavored quinoa

Quinoa mung dosai ~ Savory crepes

Lemon Vegetable Quinoa

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Carrot kosambari ~ Carrot and mung bean salad

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Festival season with all it's sweets and snacks always leaves me craving something light, healthy and nutritious. Something that is healthy to the core and is completely unlike all the rich calorie laden food that is inevitably an integral part of any festival season. Something like...... this kosambari. Kosambari is a salad that originates from South Indian cuisine. It is made with either cucumbers, cabbage or carrots. Kosambari usually combines one kind of vegetable with some soaked split mung beans/ moong dhal, making it a good combination of nutrition and protein. 

This is one of my favorite salads and I could easily have a big bowl of this salad anytime :) With a hint of heat from the chilies, natural sweetness of the carrots and coconut, hint of tartness from the lemon juice, every bite of this salad is just bursting with flavor. If you are craving something light and healthy, this might be just the salad for you too :)

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Ingredients and method to make carrot kosumbari

1/3 cup split mung bean lentil ( mung dhal / paytham parappu)

4 med large carrots grated 

3 Tbsp freshly grated coconut ( or frozen thawed to room temperature ) (nariyal/ thengai)

3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro ( coriander leaves/ hara dhania / kothamalli )

Salt to taste

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice ( or to taste ) ( nimbu ka ras/ elimbicham pazham)

Seasoning

2 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds ( rai/ kadagu)

2 Thai or Indian variety green chilies cut finely ( hari mirch/ pachai molagai)

Pinch of asafoetida powder ( hing / perungayam) (optional)

Rinse mung thoroughly and drain. Soak mung in sufficient water for at least 1 hour or a little longer.

Grate carrots and add to a large bowl. Drain soaked mung thoroughly and add to grated carrots. Add salt to taste, coconut and cilantro/ coriander leaves and mix well. 

Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds to it. When the seeds begin to splutter, add green chilies and asafoetida if using and stir a few times. Pour entire seasoning on the salad. Add lemon juice to salad and mix again. 

Serve immediately. 

Serves approx 3 

 If you are looking for Carrot / Gajar Recipes, here are a few more

Carrot Roti ~ Wheat flat bread with carrots and spices

Cabbage Carrot Poriyal ~ Simply Seasoned Curry

Carrot Raisin Oat bran muffins ~ Egg free and Butter free

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Dudhi / Lauki moong dhal sabzi ~ Bottlegourd with mung bean curry

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As I mentioned in this post, dudhi/ lauki/ Bottlegourd is a versatile and low calorie vegetable that works well in a variety of curries. Most of the times when I make curries I like to pair it with some kind of lentil/ dhal so that we get some protein along with the vegetable. When I make a South Indian version of this curry, I usually make it in this kootu style.

This version that I make sometimes goes well with phulkas / chapathis (Indian flat bread). This is a very simple curry, you could even serve it as a dhal if you chose, I usually make it more "curry like" since I make it for phulkas. It hardly takes time to put together making it perfect for quick weeknight dinners or any other time when you are looking for something quick and nourishing. 

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Ingredients and Method to make dudhi moong sabzi

1/2 cup mung bean lentil (moong dhal/ paytham parappu) soaked in suff water for 30 mins

1 small to medium sized Bottlegourd/ dudhi/ lauki/ sorrakkai peeled and cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces = 4 cups of pieces

1 medium red onion cut fine ( pyaaz/ vengayam)

1 large tomato cut fine = 1 cup of cut tomato pieces (tamatar/ thakkali)

1 Tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera/ jeeragam)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste (adrak/ lehsun) 

Salt to taste (namak/ uppu)

1/2 tsp chili powder ( lal mirch / Thani molagai podi)

1/2 tsp cumin pwd ( jeera powder/ jeeragam powder)

1/2 tsp coriander pwd (dhania)

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd ( haldi/ turmeric)

2 - 3 Tbsp finely cut cilantro for garnish ( coriander leaves/hara dhania/ kothamalli)

Rinse mung bean a few times, then soak in sufficient water for at least 30 minutes.

Prep the vegetables and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds to it, when the seeds begin to sizzle, add onions and stir until the onions turn transparent.

Add ginger garlic paste and stir a few times. Then add tomatoes, all the spices , salt to taste and stir until tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add soaked mung bean lentils, Bottlegourd pieces and water as needed, allow to come to a boil. Cover with a lid, lower heat and allow to cook until lentils and Bottlegourd gets cooked and soft, but not mushy. Stir once in a while to ensure even cooking. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Remove and serve hot with some plain steamed rice or with phulkas/ chapathis ( Indian flat bread)

If you are looking for more recipes with bottlegourd, here are a few more

Dudhi/ Lauki sabzi ~ Bottlegourd in peanut gravy curry

Dudhi kootu ~ Bottlegourd in lentil coconut gravy curry

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Easy Mung Bean Curry ~ Moong Curry ~ With Stepwise pictures

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For some odd reason I was under the impression that I have already posted the recipe for this easy mung curry in this space. The other day when I was searching for it here, I realized somehow this recipe had missed making it into this space earlier.  It surprised me, mainly because this curry features frequently in my home, but since I was under the impression that I had already posted this curry, I never bothered with pictures etc for it :) Well you know how they say, better late than never........... :)

This curry is what I categorize as an everyday curry. Its a no fuss, easy and quick curry that is perfect when paired with any kind of Indian flat bread , whether it is rotis, phulkas or chapathis. In a pinch you can even have this curry with some kind of crusty bread like french bread/ ciabatta rolls/ or the more Indian pav on the side.  Yet despite its simplicity this curry is delicious,  very flavorful and has this lovely creamy texture that I just love. Also the fact that it uses very minimal ingredients means that it does not need very much in terms of planning ahead, which is great for people like me who do not plan their menu days or weeks in advance :) If you like mung bean, this simple curry may be just the thing for your quick weekday menu:)

Before I go a couple of  updates......I have recently updated my Easy Kadai Paneer post with updated pictures + stepwise pictures. I have also updated this oat sabudana dosa  (Oat Javarsi dosai/ Savory Indian crepes made with oats and sago) with updated pictures and my very first video clip of the process of making the dosa. Take a peek at these posts and let me know what you think :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Mung Bean Curry
1 and 1/4 cup whole mung beans soaked in water for 5 to 6 hours or overnight
1 large red onion cut fine
1 Thai or Indian variety green chili cut fine (or to taste)
1 tbsp oil ( I used coconut oil)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)
1/4 tsp cumin powder (Jeera powder)
3/4 tsp coriander powder (Dhania powder)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne powder)
1/4 tsp garam masala (or any other curry powder) To make your own garam masala check out this post
2 to 3 tbsp finely cut cilantro leaves (coriander leaves/ hara dhania/ kothamalli)
1/4 cup whisked plain yogurt (curds/ dahi/ thayir)

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pan, when hot add cumin seeds, when the seeds sizzle, add green chili and stir a few times. Add onions and saute until onions turn transparent.

 Drain the soaked mung beans and add to the sauteed onions. Add spices except salt, water enough to submerge the beans, stir well and close with a lid and allow the beans to cook until soft.

Add salt to taste, water if required to achieve desired consistency and  simmer for another few minutes for the flavors to mingle. I always add salt when the beans are almost cooked as I have heard that adding salt earlier inhibits the cooking process of beans and makes it a little hard. When done, add whisked plain yogurt and mix well.
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Finally remove from heat, garnish with some cilantro and serve hot with some Indian flat bread like rotis/ phulkas/ chapathis etc.

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Curried Mung bean and Barley Soup ~ Whole Moong soup

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This curried mung bean and barley soup was first posted on this site on Thursday, 12th May 2011. Some of you may have noticed that when you tried to click on my post either through your reader or through the email, it displayed a message that the page did not exist. The reason for this was that blogger had some issues since Thursday. I initially noticed that my post kept disappearing and reappearing for the entire day. By Friday, sadly the post  had completely disappeared, I kept hoping that it would reappear later during the weekend, but it did not. So I am posting this soup for the second time and keeping my fingers crossed that the issues with blogger have been resolved :-)

Since the first time I tasted barley in a soup at a restaurant, soups have been my favorite way to include barley in our diet. Of course that is not the only way I include barley in our menu, I have played around with using it in foods like this Oat barley roti (Indian flat bread) , this barley cutlet and this barley adai (crepe) and enjoyed it immensely. But the first thought that crosses my mind when I think of using barley is usually some type of soup.

This time I decided to try barley in combination with mung bean in a soup. The result was this hearty, nutritious and very delicious soup that I completely enjoyed. I rarely use bell pepper in soups, but I tried it in this one and was surprised to find that it added a very interesting flavor and dimension to the soup. Since I precooked the beans and barley in the pressure cooker I also saved a lot of time and got this soup ready in under thirty minutes. And anytime I can make something quick, healthy and tasty, that is a winner in my book:-)

 


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Ingredients and Method to make curried mung bean and barley soup
3/4 cup whole green mung bean soaked for 3 to 4 hours (whole moong)
1/2 cup pearl barley (jau)
2 medium size onions cut fine (pyaaz)
3 medium tomatoes cut fine (tamatar)
3 carrots cut into 1/4 inch pieces (gajar)
1 green bell pepper (capsicum/simla mirch/ koda molagai)

2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (lehsun/poondu)
a thin sliver of ginger minced (adrak/inji)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional) (haldi)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (lal mirch)
1 1/2 tsp garam masala (can be substituted with any other curry powder)
salt to taste
3 1/2 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)(limbu ka ras)
handful cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania) cut fine for garnish

Soak mung beans in sufficient water for 3 to 4 hours. Just before cooking it, drain the water and add fresh water to the soaked mung beans. Wash and rinse pearl barley and add to the soaked mung beans and pressure cook the two until soft. Alternatively soaked mung beans + pearl barley can be cooked on the stove top together or separately until soft yet not mushy.Keep this aside .

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan, add onions to it and saute until transparent. Add ginger and garlic and stir a few times. Add tomatoes and saute until tomatoes get soft and cooked.
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Add turmeric powder, garam masala, chili powder and stir a couple of times. Add carrots and bell peppers, water or stock as required and cook until the vegetables are soft.

Add cooked mung beans + pearl barley, salt to taste, adjust water/ stock if required and allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes while the flavors mingle.

Finally add lemon juice, garnish with cilantro and remove from heat.

Serve hot with some crusty bread, or pav bread or any other bread of choice ( I served this soup with some focaccia bread) or you can even adjust the consistency a little and serve it like a curry over a bed of plain steamed rice :-)

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Mung Bean Curry ~ Whole Moong Curry

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Every where I see these days, the signs of spring are there. The grass all around my area is getting greener , trees with fresh new leaves, birds are out chirping and the days are  longer ....yep spring is definitely here. The only downside, rains!  We have been having one storm system after another dumping rain on us continuously for the last couple of weeks and it is enough to make me look at the sky each morning hoping for some sunshine.  The weirdest part about rains this past couple of weeks has been that  all weekend it rains, ruining any chances of outdoor activities and on Monday morning the sun finally makes an appearance when we are not able to enjoy it. A couple of days of some sun shine and right around the time the weekend is on the horizon so are the clouds, and we are faced with yet another wet weekend. Just when the weather's getting warmer and we are looking forward to spending time outdoors we are forced to stay indoors because of the rains. I am keeping my fingers crossed for this weekend, hope the trend changes from the last two weeks :-) 

Moving on,I make this style of  mung bean curry when I am looking for a change from the dhal/ usal type preparation using mung beans. This curry works as a great side dish with both roti and steamed rice. You can even use it as a filling in sandwiches or wraps.  The cinnamon, fennel and cardamom impart such a sweet and fresh flavor to the curry and the green chillies impart just the right heat. Try this when you are looking for a quick, healthy and low fat protein dish with a difference. 

 
  
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Ingredients and method to make Mung bean curry
1 cup dry mung beans/moong beans(Green gram/pachai payaru) soaked in sufficient water for at least 4 to 6 hours
1 medium red onion cut fine
salt to taste 
1/4 tsp red chilli powder (optional, or to taste) 
1 tsp sugar handful cilantro for garnish (cut fine) 

Masala Paste 
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf/sombu) 
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/jeeragam) 
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (dhania) 
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (choti elaichi/ellakkai) 
1 inch piece of cinnamon (dalchini/pattai) 
1/2 tsp chopped ginger (adrak/inji) 
2 Thai or Indian variety green chillies (hara mirch/pachai molagai) (or according to taste) 
1 dry red chili (lal mirch/molagai vathal) (optional, or to taste) 

 For seasoning 
1 Tbsp oil 
1 tsp mustard seeds (sarson/rai/kadagu) 
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/ jeeragam) 

Soak the dry mung beans in sufficient water for 4 to 6 hours.  Drain the mung beans completely,wash once with fresh water and place in a container with just enough water as to cover the beans and pressure cook until soft but not mushy. (usually takes me about 2 whistles in the pressure cooker) 

Alternatively you can cook it on the stove top with sufficient water on medium heat until it is soft but not mushy. Keep the cooked beans aside. 

Grind together the dry ingredients mentioned in the masala paste first in a small spice grinder until it is fine. Then add ginger and green chillies, and a little water and grind together until it becomes a fine paste. Keep this ground mixture aside. 

 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to splutter, add cumin seeds. When cumin sizzles, add onions and saute until onions are translucent. 

Add the cooked beans, salt to taste, sugar and red chilli powder (if using ) and mix together gently. Add the ground mixture to this and stir until it mixes well with the beans. If you plan to use this curry in a wrap or want it to be on the drier side, do not add any water to this curry at this stage, just mix all the ingredients, garnish as below. If you plan to use this curry as a side dish for phulkas or chapathis/Indian flat bread, add water as required to achieve required consistency and simmer for a few minutes until all the flavors mingle.

Garnish with finely cut cilantro and serve hot with rotis/ phulkas/ chapathis or rice or use it as a filling in wraps or enjoy a bowl of this curry just on its own :)

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Oat Barley Adai ~ Dhal Dosa ~ Savory Indian Crepes made with oat, barley and mung bean

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Barley is a type of grain that contains high levels of dietary fiber and selenium (which is a type of anti oxidant ). A cup of cooked barley provides 52 percent of the daily value of selenium.Selenium is an essential component of various metabolic functions like thyroid hormone metabolism, antioxidant defense systems and the immune function. In addition studies have shown that a diet high in barley helps in lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad one) and lowering high blood pressure.It may also help in stabilizing blood glucose levels.

After learning how much barley really benefits us , I felt very guilty that this super healthy grain does not appear in my recipes as much as it should. This got me thinking that maybe I should use barley in something like adai. Adai is a traditional savory crepe made with rice and three types of lentils and it belongs to cuisine from southern India. You will find the traditional recipe of adai here

I used the basic idea of adai and included both oats and barley in this recipe. We loved the final result of this experiment. For those of you familiar with adai the inclusion of barley and oats does not change the basic taste of adai very much and it still tastes a lot like the one with three lentils.

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Ingredients and Method to make  Barley Oats Adai

1 cup brown rice (or white rice) (chawal/ arisi)

1/2 cup split mung bean (Moong dhal/ pasi parappu/ paitham parappu )

1/2 cup quick cooking barley or pearl barley (jau/ vargodumai)

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

Thai green chillies (6-7) ( or according to taste) (hara mirch/ pachai molagai)

Dry red chillies (4) ( or according to taste) (lal mirch/ molagai vathal)

curry leaves (7-8 ) (optional ) (kadi patha/ karvapillai)

1 tsp chopped ginger ( optional )(adrak/ inji)

1/8 tsp Asafoetida (hing) (optional but recommended)

salt to taste (namak/uppu)

Few teaspoons of sesame oil (til ka tel/ nalla ennai) 

In a large bowl mix the first four items. Wash and drain these four grains together.

Soak these grains in sufficient water for about 3 hours.

Drain water and grind these grains in a blender/ mixer with the curry leaves, ginger if using, green chilies and red chilies with some water to help in the grinding process. 

This does not have to be ground very smooth, the grains could be of the texture of coarse semolina/ rava. 

The batter should be of pouring consistency but not too thin and runny. When in doubt err on the side of thicker batter, you can always add water later if needed to achieve correct consistency. 

Add asafoetida and salt to taste and mix well.

Heat a flat pan / griddle / tawa on medium high heat. When the griddle is hot pour a ladle full of batter and spread quickly and evenly to create a thin circle.

Pour a few drops of sesame oil on the side facing up. When the lower side is slightly browned, flip it over and cook the other sides for a few seconds.

When the other side has a few pinkish/ brownish spots, it can be removed.

Proceed with the rest of the batter in the same manner.

Yields approximately 15 crepes/ adais

Serve hot with spice powder or a little plain yogurt spiced with spice powder or just plain honey.

Notes:

In case of leftover batter,it could be kept in the refrigerator for a day or two and used as required

Do keep in mind that different green chillies and red chillies vary in their levels of spiciness so do adjust the quantity of green and red chillies according to taste

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Instant Oats Dosai (savory Indian crepe with oats and wheat flour)

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