MIXED SPROUTS: GUJARATI CUISINE

Mixed Sprouts: Gujarati Cuisine

makes: 6 servings

- 6 cups sprouts

- 1 tbsp. plain or spiced ghee (or coconut oil)

- 2 dried cayenne chiles or chiles de arbol

- 1 tsp. heeng (asafoetida)

- 1 tsp. ajmo (ajwain, carom/bishop's weed seeds)

- 1 tsp. powdered turmeric

- 1 tsp. powdered cumin

- 1 tsp. powdered coriander

- 1 tsp. cayenne powder

- 1 tbsp. tamarind paste

- 2 - 3 tbsp. jaggery (or sugar, to taste)

- 3 cups water

- 1 tbsp. salt

- 4 tbsp. chopped cilantro, to garnish

- 1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Heat the ghee in a large pan, add in heeng, ajwain, whole red chilies. 
2. When it's all aromatic, add the sprouts, turmeric, enough water to submerge the sprouts. Pressure cook until done. 
3. OR - Add steamed sprouts, turmeric, and just enough water to submerge the sprouts. 
4. Cook to a simmer, then add powdered cumin, coriander, cayenne powder, tamarind paste, and jaggery. Bring to a fast simmer and cook for a few minutes. 
5. Lower the heat and add salt. Taste and adjust seasonings. 
6. Turn off the heat and garnish with lemon juice and cilantro. Enjoy!

SKINNY DIPPING: NO-OIL SPROUTED LENTIL DIP

I *love* this dip! I love all dips - I make hummus, other chickpea/bean dips, and vegetable dips every week. Blending things together in a dip makes the flavours meld together into savoury heaven for the taste buds that just gets more heavenly in a few hours! And, you can get creative with seasonal produce to make a huge variety of dips that are tasty, healthy, and nourishing.

I like having dips with pita or other breads, roasted or raw vegetables, or sometimes just on their own by the spoonful! This dip freezes really well, in case you make extra or have leftovers (which you won't).

Skinny Dipping: No-Oil Sprouted Lentil Dip

Makes: 1-1/2 cups

- 1-1/4 cups water

- 2 cups sprouted lentils

- 1 bay leaf

- 1 large clove garlic

- 3 tbsp. tahini

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 tsp. garam masala (or any Indian curry powder)

- 1/2 - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper

- 1 tsp. salt, or to taste

- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper or paprika for garnish (optional)

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add the sprouted lentils, bay leaf, and garlic. If needed, add the 1/4 cup water to keep the lentils from burning and sticking to the pan. When the lentils are cooked (soft but not mushy), remove the pan from heat and cool to room temperature. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
2. Blend in a blender (or process in a food processor) the lentils, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, garam masala, crushed red pepper, and salt. If needed add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, to help blend the lentils to your desired consistency. If the lentils stick to the sides of the blender jar or food processor bowl, scrape them off the sides and continue blending.
3. Serve at room temperature garnished with a dusting of cayenne pepper or paprika.

GUJARATI AT HEART: MUNG BEAN AND PEANUT SPROUTS

In Gujarati cuisine, there are so many ways to eat fangavela (sprouted) mag (mung beans): stir fried, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, raw in salads, as a filling in various snacks, lightly steamed and mixed with other things including yogurt, the variations are endless.

I grow sprouts very often because I love them and it's so easy. And this is a pretty standard Gujarati way of making mung bean sprouts. I added sprouted peanuts just because I saw raw peanuts in the cupboard and thought, "Why not?!"

I usually make this without the onions, garlic, and ginger, which is the Jain way.

Asafoetida is a gum from a tree, and is used for it's digestive properties. It's also a flavour enhancer, especially in Gujarati cuisine where the use of onions and garlic is sparse at best. Asafoetida is quite de rigeur in Gujarati cooking but you can skip it if you don't have it. 

Jaggery is another very ubiquitous ingredient, a concentrate of cane juice, coconut palm sap, or date palm sap (also known as palm sugar, and a common ingredient in Thai cooking) among others. Jaggery has a softer, rounder sweetness than sugar and it's what we typically use but it's not indispensible so use sugar if that's what you've got at hand.

Serve this dish with rice and ghee - or rotlis (Gujarati version of roti) and ghee like I did - but please, no tortillas, naan, leavened bread, pita, quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc. Save those for something else.

Mung Bean and Peanut Sprouts
Makes: 4 - 5 cups

- 4 cups home-grown mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup peanut sprouts
- 1 medium white onion, chopped into a fine dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. minced ginger (~ a 1 in. piece)
- 1 chile de arbol, serrano, or jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. powdered asafoetida
- 1 tsp. each powdered: turmeric, cumin, coriander
- 1 - 2 tsp. powdered red pepper
- 2 tbsp. jaggery
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan (use a pan that has a lid), and add asafoetida. Let it sizzle for a few seconds, then add cumin and mustard seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds pop, add the chopped onion and green chile, minced garlic and ginger. Saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add the powdered spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper. Give everything a quick stir to mix and add a 1/4 cup of water.
4. Add the bean and peanut sprouts, and stir everything to mix well. Turn the heat to low if things are sticking to the pan.
5. Add enough water to fully cover the sprouts. Add jaggery (or sugar), give everything a quick stir.
6. Turn the heat to high until the water starts boiling, then turn it down to medium-low and cover the pan.
7. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, then check the bean sprouts. They should be soft and cooked - if not, cover the pan and cook for 7 - 10 minutes longer. The peanut sprouts will be a bit crunchy.
8. Add salt and adjust sweetness to taste. Add the lemon juice.
9. Stir well and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges for those who like it a bit more tangy.

HOW TO SPROUT MUNG BEANS AND OTHER LEGUMES

Home grown sprouts, no special equipment needed.

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Sprouting Mung Beans and Other Legumes
Makes: approximately 4 cups sprouts

- 1 cup mung beans (or peanuts, garbanzos, or any other bean, or a mix of beans)
- 4 - 8 cups water, or enough to submerge any bean you're using by at least 2 inches

1. Rinse the mung beans.
2. Put the rinsed beans in a large bowl and add all the water. Soak overnight (8 - 12 hours, but really up to 24 hours is ok too). 
3. Drain the water and put the beans back in the bowl. (It's ok if some water is clinging to the beans, you don't want them to be totally dry. You don't want too much water in the bowl, because otherwise they'll just spoil and smell bad. If this happens, throw the beans away and restart at step 1.)
4. Cover the bowl with a damp cotton kitchen towel and leave at room temperature. After 8 - 12 hours, rinse the beans, drain, and put them back in the large bowl.
5. Repeat step 4 three or four times until you have sprouts with a 1/2 to 1 inch long "tail".
6. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Notes:

1. Beans absorb a lot of water within the first 8 - 12 hours, so make sure to soak in plenty of water.
2. Sprouting time will vary with bean size - larger beans like garbanzos will take a longer time to sprout.
3. Sprouted peanuts are terrific, lightly steamed or raw in salads.
4. I've never tried sprouting kidney beans because I don't really like them so the only time I cook them is if it's for someone else, by request. But I suppose they'd sprout.