how to make moong sprouts at home

Step 1: Wash and rinse the moong seeds/Mung bean thoroughly and soak the seeds in adequate water. Let the seeds soak overnight

Step 2: Next day morning the seeds volume will increase in size. They become bulky and pulpy.

Step 3:  Strain the water and rinse the beans and transfer the moong to a muslin cloth or a large mesh type strainer.

 Step 4: The mung bean start sprouting after about 7-8 hrs.

 Step 5: Sprouts can be preserved in a refrigerator and can be used whenever required

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Moong Dal Kheer / Pasi Paruppu Payasam

This is yet again a lovely, mouthwatering and simple recipe. You can make this for any festival days.  The subtle sweetness and smoothness of dal/lentils tastes divine. You can add fried coconut pieces to give the crunchiness.

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal / Green Gram Split  - 1 Cup
• Jaggery - 1 1/2 cup (Indian sweetener made from sugar cane juice- Available in Indian store)
• Milk - 1/2 Cup
• Water - 3 cups
• Ghee /Clarified Butter- 1 tbsp
• Cardamom/Elaichi Powder - 1 tsp
• Cashewnuts/Almond for decoration

Time Required: 15-20 mins

Method:

1. Roast the moong dal nicely till it turns to brown color.
2. Soak it in the water about 4 hrs (otherwise the cook time is huge else cook it in pressure cooker for 2 whistles)
3. Rinse out from the soaked water and boiled the moong dal in fresh water.
4. In another pan dissolved the jaggery with 1/2 cup of water (drain out the dust if any)
5. Add the jaggery syrup, 1tsp of cardamom powder, milk to the  moong dal mixture and cook until tender
6.  Fry the cashew nuts in ghee and add it the payasam and enjoy :)

Serving: You can serve hot or cold as per your family members preference. It tastes good in both the ways.

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Khandeshi Khichdi

This is one of the simple and quick dinner recipe when ever you are back from office late or in hurry time.

In the language of Marathi "Khanda" means Onion and "khichdi" means mixture. In this recipe rice is cooked in the mixture of lentils, onion, tomato and spices.

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Rice
• ½ cupMoong Dal / Green Gram Split
• 2 cups Water (apprx. 1. times the quantity of rice and 2 times the quantity of dal)
• 1 Onion - finely chopped
• 1 Tomato - finely chopped
• 4-5 flakes Garlic (chopped)
• 1 tsp Jeera/ Cumin seeds 
• 1 tsp Haldi  /Turmericpowder
• 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder (Mixture of many Indian spices - available in Indian Store)
• ½ tsp Red Chili powder
• Salt to taste 

Time Required: 30 mins

Method:

1) Wash rice and moong dal, drain and keep aside.
2) Heat oil in pressure cooker pan, add  seeds, allow to splutter, then add garlic and onion. Fry till onion turns pink.
3) Add tomato, once tomato starts leaving oil add turmeric, garam masala and red chili powder.
4) Now add water (apprx. 1. times the quantity of rice and 2 times the quantity of dal/lentil) and then add salt.
5) Once the water starts boiling add rice and dal.
6) Cover and pressure cook (3 whistles) the khichadi. Smear some ghee.

Serving: Serve hot with roasted papad & onion tomato Raita

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Moong Sprout Broccoli Cucumber Raita

Broccoli, green mung bean sprout, cucumber, curd with simple spices gives compliment taste to this raita.

Raita means - it is  an Indian side dish of yogurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables and spices.

Check here to know, how to make mung bean sprout at home!

Ingredients:

• Moong Sprout/Mung Bean Sprout - 1 cup
• Cucumber - 1 (sliced or chopped)
• Broccoli - 1/2 lb
• Sour Curd - 1 cup
• Garlic Flakes - 3
• Green Chili - 2 nos ( Optional)
• Curry Leaves - Few (optional)
• Coriander Leaves for garnishing (optional)
• Crushed black Pepper - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Time Required: 10 mins


Method:

1. Wash and cut the cucumber and broccoli
2. Add sprouted moong, chopped garlic flakes, curd, salt and pepper & mix well
3. Add chopped green chilies if you are looking for spicy raita 
4. To enhance more taste you could also add curry leaves and coriander leaves

Serve: Serve this with chapati/ roti or even with pulao

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Aarsimav Ammini Kozhakattai or Pearl Modak

There are many types of Kozhakattai to offer as prasadam for Ganesh Chaturthi. Like Jaggery/ Vellam Modak, Ellu/ Thil/Sesame seeds Modak and Uppu/Salt Modak.  And this ammini kozhakattai usually my mom prepares when there is a left over flour and filling. 
The highlight of this modak is you can serve them as breakfast or for dinner. So why wait for the festival to come to cherish this dish. Enjoy the spicy pearl/mini modak/ Ammini Kozhakattai any time:) You can prepare this dish in 2 ways. Simple and a normal standard version. Here i am sharing both the recipes...  

Normal Version:

For Kozhakattai / Modak/Dumplings:

• Rice Flour - 2 cups
• Salt to taste
• Water

Uludu/White Lentils Filling

• Urud Dal /White Lentils - 1/2 Cup  (grown in Indian subcontinent- Available in Indian Store)
• Green chili- 4 to 5 nos
• Ginger - 1/2" piece
• Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds / Kadukku - 1 tsp
• Urud Dal/ Ulutham Paruppu/White Lentils - 1 tsp
• Hing/Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Curry Leaves Few

Kozhakattai/ Modak Mehod: 

Follow this procedure you will never go wrong!

1. In a bowl add rice flour and salt without lumps mix it with 1 cup of water

 

2. Put a reasonable size heavy bottom pan on the range and heat 1 cup of water and bring to boil

  

3. Keep the flame in slow and then add the rice flour mixture and stir it nicely until it makes nice shiny dough 

 

4. Let them to cool for a bit and then pinch out a small dough roll them as a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough.



5. Steam it for 10 mins. And allow them to cool so to retain the shape of the ball

For Uludu/ Urud dal/White Lentils Filling Method:

1. Soak the urud dal for 2 to 3 hrs. Drain and grind along with green chilies, salt, ginger and Hing/asafoetida with 1 to 2 tbsp of water.  

  

2. Steam the filling for 10 mins. ( Instead of steaming separately you could steam both kozhakattai and filling in a idli cooker to save the time)

Procedure for mani/Mini/Pearl Modak/Kozhakattai/Dumplings

1. Heat a pan with a teaspoon of oil, add the seeds and allow them to splutter 
2. Add curry leaves and whole red chili (for more spicyness)
3. Add uludu/ Urud dal filling add a turmeric powder, lemon juice and mix it well
4. Once done add mini/Ammini Kozhakattai and mix nicely until all the modak coated with fillings.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut and serve hot.

Simple Version:

1. Prepare the dough as above mentioned method
2. Instead of uludu filling, just give the seasoning of the seeds (use 2 to 3 tsps of seeds ) allow them to splutter
3. Add green chili, salt, hing and curry leaves and fry for 2 more mins
4. Add steamed peal/mani/mini modak/kozhakattai and mix well
5. Serve with onion and tomatto gojju 

 

6. You can serve with mor molaga/ Stuffed masala mirchi too. Mor Molaga is a marinated dried green chili in curd - available in Indian store

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Pasi Paruppu Pittu /Moong Dal Upma and Sheera

Very much healthy and comforting and one of our favorite breakfast ever!  It is little lengthy procedure to do.  Try it on Sunday or in a holiday. Let me assure you the time you spend in the kitchen is worth enough to prepare this breakfast and I bet you and your family will enjoy. 

Check the below quick and easy breakfast Upma Varieties:

Rice Upma      Poha/Avil Upma,   Oats Upma,   semiya Upma  Idli Usli/Upma 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Moong Dal / Yellow Split peas/Split Mung Bean
• 1 Hand full Boiled Rice

~For Spicy Flavor

• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana Dal (Split Black Chickpeas) - 1/2 tsp
• Urud Dal (white Lenti) - 1/2 tsp (grown in Indian subcontinent- Available in Indian Store)
• Green chili - 1 to 2
• Mor Molga (Dry marinated green chili) - available in Indian store
• Curry leaves - Few
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh Coriander Leaves
• oil for seasoning
• Salt to taste

~For Sweet Flavor

• Sugar - 1.5 cup
• Water - 1 cup
• Almond, pistachio, cashews, raisin(which ever available with you)
• Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Time required:  1 hr (excluding soaking and grinding time)


Method:

1) Soak the rice up to 12 hrs/overnight & moong dal is about 2 to 3 hrs. Then grind them as batter like rava mixture. Don’t grind them very smoothly. Just run it once. That’s it.

2) Grease the oil in idli plates and bake it as idli. Once idli done keep it aside for cooling and then smash the idli as powder format.

You can prepare this recipe in 2 types of flavor.


For Spicy Flavor Method:

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Fry the mor molaga/ dry marinated green chili  and keep it aside. In the same oil add mustard and urad dal seeds allow them to splutter. Add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt and fry for 2 mins. Add the cooked moong idli crumbled powder and stir very gently with a wide spatula till oil coats evenly. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

For Sweet Flavor Method:

Heat another  pan, add 1 cup water and 1 ½ cups of sugar bring them to boil, once sugar dissolves nicely, then add 1 cup moong dal crumbled mixture and mix well. Fry the cashews and raisins in  clarified butter & pour them on top.

Serving: Serve Hot. Enjoy the healthy comforting breakfast.

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Moong Sprout Sabzi

Ingredients:

• Moong sprouts/Mung bean sprout- 2 Cups 
• Onion 1/2 Cup finely chopped 
• Garlic 4-5 flakes
• Finely chopped ginger 1/4 Tsp 
• Green Chilies 2 or 3 Nos.
• Tomato - 2 Nos.
• Curry leaves Few
• Garam masala - 2 tsp (Mixture of many Indian spices - Available in Indian store)
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Hing/Asafoetida - A Pinch
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Oil 
• Mustard seeds 1 Tsp 
• Jeera/Cumin seeds 1 Tsp 
• Salt to taste 
• Chopped coriander Leaves / Cilantro - 3 Tbsp 

Time Required: 30 mins

Directions:

1) Pressure cook or steam cook the sprouted moong.

2) Heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot add mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds are splutter, add jeera.

3) Then add green chilies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and onion, fry till onion becomes translucent.

4) Then add chopped tomato.

5) Fry for another 5 mins and then add garam masala, hing &  turmeric powder. Add water and cook for 2 mins.

6) Now add cooked moong sprouts, salt, a pinch of sugar. Mix well and cook for another 10 mins.

Serving: Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/chapati.

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Tamil Nadu Ven Pongal Recipe

It is a wonderful, nurturing and comfort breakfast dish very popular in Tamil Nadu. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups Rice
• 3/4 cup Moong Dal / Green Gram Split
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Urud Dal/ White Lentils - 1 tsp
• Green Chili - 2 nos. 
• Few Curry Leaves 
• 1" grated Ginger  
• Black Pepper Powder - 3 tsp 
• Few Cashews and Raisins for garnishing 
• 5-6 tbsp ghee or butter 
• Salt to taste

Time Required: 20-25 mins

Method:

Step 01) Wash rice and dal. Cook it in a pressure cooker up to 4 whistles

Step 02) Heat ghee and roast cashews & raisins until golden, remove carefully and set aside.

Step 03) In the same pan add  seeds and allow to splutter

Step 04) Add ginger grated, curry leaves, black pepper powder and salt and saute them for about 1 min. 

Step 05) Add cooked rice, dal and cup of water and mix nicely with seasoning 

Step 06) Garnish with cashews & raisins.

Serving: Serve hot with any Sambhar / Churtney /Brinjal Curry 

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