Everyday meals
Sprouted Mung Bean Salad
A crunchy, nutrient-rich summer salad. Sprouting makes mung beans even easier to digest.
- Prep
- 10 minutes, plus soaking and sprouting
- Cook
- None
- Serves
- 4
From Ayurveda: Breaking the Rules Without Breaking the Principles
Mung beans are balancing for all constitutions and among the easiest foods to digest, and sprouting makes them easier still. The sprouts take a couple of days, but the salad takes only 10 minutes, and that is where you get to be creative with what grows near you.
Sprouting comes naturally in warm weather. In a dry climate, sprinkle the beans with extra water; in a cold one, find a warm, dark, draft-free spot in your kitchen. If cold sprouts upset your digestion, pour a hot vaghaar over them instead, as in my kicharee.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole mung beans
- 4 cups water
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, chopped
- 6 green onions, white and pale parts chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder or paprika
Method
- 1Rinse the mung beans and place them in a large bowl with the water. Let them soak for 24 hours.
- 2Drain the beans and rinse them in cold water.
- 3Wrap the beans in a clean cloth and keep them in a dark place for up to 48 hours. I put mine in a lidded Dutch oven inside my oven (taking it out whenever I use the oven). My mother uses the microwave.
- 4The beans are ready when they have long white tails and a crunchy, fresh taste, sooner in a warm climate.
- 5If you are not using them right away, store the sprouts in a covered container lined with a dry paper towel in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- 6Toss the sprouts with the lime juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, avocado, black pepper and cumin or paprika. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.
