Friday, November 25, 2011

Horse Gram Salad

How to grow Horse Gram Sprouts?

One way to eat Horse gram is in the form of Sprouts.  It is fairly easy to grow sprouts from any legumes. Soak the desired amount of Horse gram in a wide bowl completely submerged in water. Once the Horse gram is soft when you bite on the legume, drain the water, rinse and put them in a very thin cotton cloth, a cheese cloth works the best. Keep the cloth damp and put it away in a dark place overnight. Usually by the end of the second day you will see small sprouts coming up. You can grow the sprouts to whatever length you desire and then add to them any dish. Make sure the seeds are soaked well and have enough air if you are putting them in a jar(keep the lid a slightly open). Don't let the seeds ferment, soaking them too long. Sprouts are high in Vitamin A, Thiamine, vitamin C, iron and potassium. Sprouting them also helps in reducing the production of gas which helps in digesting them much better than the dried horse gram. 

I am giving to you a recipe from horse gram sprouts. Horse gram salad is very tasty and healthy. To avoid obesity definitely you should eat this type of whole grains. One of the best ways to get fiber into our diet is to eat whole grains. Fiber is of two types, soluble and insoluble. Whole grains have soluble fiber and is extremely useful in reducing cholesterol levels in the body.  One of the legumes that is not very well known but is quite nutritious is the Horse Gram. Definitely every one can include into their breakfast menu at least twice a week. This is very ideal snack for children. For more details about horse gram see my nutritional values post.

Ingredients:
Horse gram  sprouts- 1 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1/4 cup
Green chilli - 1 
jeera - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Uraddal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder - pinch
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Rock salt or normal salt  to taste 
Oil - 1 tbsp
Method of preparation:
  1. Pressure cook the horse gram sprouts with a pinch of turmeric and asafoetida in 2 cups of water for 3 whistles.
  2. Heat some oil in a pan. Pop the mustard seeds,  jeera, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves and green chilli.
  3. Add chopped onions and saute until it turns into soft.
  4. Add salt and horse gram sprouts and mix well.
  5. Finally add lime juice and remove from heat and mix properly.
  6. Now tasty and healthy salad is ready to eat.