Bean Sprouts Salad

Bean sprouts salad has amazing textures and is slathered in creamy and flavour-rich curd dressing. It is ideal for days when you want to feel really good about yourself and the food you eat. You know, you can wear a halo that says, “I care for myself. I eat right.” 😎

This energy-filled salad has multiple benefits because the bean sprouts are FULL of good stuff. Vitamins, essential amino acids, folate, fibre, potassium, calcium…you name it, it’s there in it! They have powers to maintain cholesterol levels, and are also good for bone density. Besides this, they are totally free from unnecessary calories., similar to the Green Papaya Salad.

I usually make these kinds of salads as a meal if I feel we need to give the body and the digestive process a break from oils and our Indian masalas.

Four Steps to the Bean Sprouts Salad

The salad is unique because of the special taste of the dressing. A refreshing mixture of raw green salad vegetables, lime juice, honey, chilli, salt and coriander beautifully balance each other and even the people who normally don’t like sprouts enjoy it.

Those who have trouble digesting uncooked stuff can lightly steam the sprouts before mixing it in the dressing.

Making the Bean Sprouts

Beansprouts are available in the market, but it is easy to make it at home also.

Wash the green ‘mung‘ beans and soak overnight in plenty of water. On the next morning, drain off the excess water and leave in a cool, dark spot, covered.

Remember to keep it moist. Soon the beans will start sprouting beautifully. You can use other legumes too, but I use these as they are so easy to make. Check this link to see how sprouts can be formed from multiple ingredients. In fact, I soak fresh beans every third day, and so I always have sprouts whenever I need them. They can be used in multiple ways.

Making the Hung Curd/Yoghurt

Set curd/yoghurt at home as usual. Once it is set, transfer the curd to a large strainer which is lined with a clean white muslin/lining cloth.
In an hour, you will get thick, creamy hung curd.
During warm seasons, do this step in the fridge, so that you avoid letting the curd turn sour.

This hung curd can be used in multiple recipes, and it is worth making a bit extra when you do this.

It is OK to leave it draining for up to a day, in case you do not get time to attend to it immediately. Just cover the curd with a plate to avoid any transfer of fridge odours.

Remember to not throw away the whey that collects in the vessel under it.

Making the Curd Dressing for the Beansprouts Salad

In a blender, add half a peeled cucumber, half a capsicum, lime juice, fresh coriander leaves, a green chilli, salt and honey/sugar. Blend. Now mix this with the hung curd.

If you do not like the capsicum, you can reduce or delete it. It does add a good flavour, so I always add it.

And if you want to add more oomph, you can finely chop and add bits of coloured bell peppers to the curd mixture.

Do note that the cucumber should be tender, if there are big seeds, discard them.

Assembling the Bean Sprouts Salad

Add the sprouts, pomegrante seeds and coriander leaves to the curd dressing. Mix well.

Now taste it and adjust the seasonings to suit your personal preference. So you can add more salt, lime or honey/sugar if you wish.

Serve chilled. Enjoy as an entire meal, or as a side.

You can also serve it as a vegetarian starter on canapes, decorated with coriander leaves and pomegranate.

Bean Sprouts Salad

Recipe by Sheetal RabindranCourse: SaladsCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Beansprouts and yoghurt combine to create a delicious salad, with cleansing properties and multiple benefits for the health enthusiast.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts

• 3/4 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

• 1/2 cup hung curd

• 1/2 fresh cucumber (discard tough seeds, if any)

• 1/2 green capsicum

• 1 green chilli

• 1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp honey/sugar

• 3/4 tsp salt

Directions

• Blend the cucumber, capsicum, chilli, coriander leaves, lime juice, honey and salt well in a food processor.
• Use a whisk/fork to mix the blended mixture into the hung curd.
• Add the bean sprouts and pomegranate seeds. Mix gently.
• Taste the salad and adjust seasoning to your liking by adding more salt/lime juice/honey/sugar.
• Serve chilled, decorated with chopped coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Notes

• Use the salad as a starter in parties. Just adding tablespoons of it on canapes and decorate it with coriander leaves and pomegranate.
• You can also finely chop and add coloured bell peppers to the curd mixture.