Sprouted Moong Bean Salad Recipe | Simple Indian Salad Recipe

Learn how to make Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Indian styled sprouted moong bean salads with assorted vegetables and chilli-lime dressing

As far as I know, there is no concept of salads in Indian cooking. Thinly sliced pieces of cucumber, tomatoes and onion rings with lemon or lime wedge is mostly the kind of salads served with main meals. Sometimes few whole or chopped green chillies accompany these vegetables as we Indians really like real spice kick in our meals!

Handful of goodness ~ Sprouted Moong Beans

Instead of salads we have Palya or Subji, simple stir fried vegetables or lightly sautéed vegetables with very few ingredients which are part of main course. And then there is Sundal, sautéed boiled beans/legumes with aromatic tadka or tempering and Kosambari, soaked raw beans and lentils mixed and served with finely chopped vegetables. It could be because of the amount of vegetables we consume in every meal, the concept of having separate salad is not something I grew up with.

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Summer salad

We love to snack on thin and long wedges of cucumber sprinkled with red chilli powder and salt or the most favourite summer treats like raw mango pieces dusted with chilli powder or black pepper powder and salt. And then there is sweet and juicy pineapple slices dipped in the same chilli and salt mixture is the only kind of salad I remember relishing when growing up. And then there is this Sprouted Moong Beans Salad only other salad which my Amma made quite often as it was my favourite thing to snack on!

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Something light and highly nutritious

Now the very same Sprouted Moon Beans Salad is Lil Dumpling’s favourite salad as he just can’t get enough of beans with tails! :) There is not really a recipe as you can simply use the vegetables of your choice or the ones that are available in your kitchen at that time and within few minutes, that is if you already have sprouted moong beans ready, you will have this bowl of healthy and high nutritious salad to eat on its own or to be served with main meals. 

The sprouting process makes already nutritious moong beans healthier and easy to digest. They are not only low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol but also a good source of protein, iron and many other nutrients. Instead of buying sprouted moong beans from supermarkets, I prefer to sprout them at home as I can be sure about their quality and freshness. All you need to do is wash the whole green moong beans and soak them in water for 8 hours. Then transfer them to the colander and keep it away from sunlight for two days. Make sure that you rinse them 2-3 times a day to prevent from souring and also providing them with moisture. That’s it. Within three days you have these sprouted moong beans to use in salads, curries, dals or other culinary experiments. 

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad

Since we continue to enjoy lovely sunny summer days, I have been making a lot of salads these days which i end up eating as a main meal. This Sprouted Moong Bean Salad is refreshingly light and yet really wholesome and healthy with bowlful of vegetables. I have used a simple chilli and lime dressing by soaking finely chopped green chillies in freshly squeezed lime juice. Add this chilli-lime dressing to Sprouted Moong Beans Salad just before serving if you like little heat in your salads or simply discard the chillies if they are too spicy for your liking. You can even add the tadka or tempering (read notes) to enhance the flavour of Sprouted Moong Beans Salad. You can serve it on its own or as a stuffing for wraps, rolls or sandwiches too. Do try this simple, nutritious and yet very satisfying Sprouted Moong Beans Salad to add little colour to your everyday meals.

Ingredients for Sprouted Moong Bean Salad

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Sprouted Moong Bean Salad (Indian styled sprouted moong bean salads with assorted vegetables and chilli-lime dressing)
Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Cooking Time: Nil
Recipe Level: Easy or Beginner
Spice Level: Low
Serves: 2-4 people
Shelf Life: Best served fresh
Serving Suggestion: As a light meal or as a side dish with Meals (Read notes)

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Ingredients:
2 cups Sprouted Moong Dal (Read notes on how to sprout moong dal)
¼ cup or 1 medium Red Onion, sliced into thin rings
½ cup or 1 large Tomato or 10 Cherry Tomatoes, chopped or sliced
¼ cup or 4-6 Baby Radish, thinly sliced
½ cup or 1 small Carrot, peeled and grated or cut into thin circles
½ cup or ¼ of Large Cucumber, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
Salt for taste

For Chilli-Lime Dressing:
1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
Juice from ½ Lime or to taste

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Simple and delicious

Method:

1. For the Chilli-Lime dressing, take lime juice in a small bowl and to this add finely chopped green chillies. Set it aside for at least 15 minutes.
2. For the salad, take all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss them gently with hands or large wooden spoon.
3. Add chilli-lime dressing, salt and pepper to taste and toss them well. Set aside for 10 minutes for the flavours to blend.
4. Serve this healthy and light Sprouted Moong Bean Salad immediately as a light meal or as a side and enjoy!

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad ~ Indian styled sprouted moong bean salads with assorted vegetables and chilli-lime dressing

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Sia’s Notes:

• The sprouting process makes already nutritious moong beans healthier and easy to digest. They are not only low in saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol but also a good source of protein, iron and many other nutrients. Instead of buying sprouted moong beans from supermarkets, I prefer to sprout them at home as I can be sure about their quality and freshness. All you need to do is wash the whole green moong beans and soak them in water for 8 hours. Then transfer them to the colander and keep it away from sunlight for two days. Make sure that you rinse them 2-3 times a day to prevent from souring and also providing them with moisture. That’s it. Within three days you have these sprouted moong beans to use in salads, curries, dals or other culinary experiments.
• To enhance the flavour, you can add a simple tadka or tempering as my mother does. For this, take about 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tbsp of urad dal and 1 broken red chilli. When a mustard seed stars to pop and splutter, add 1 spring of curry leaves and pour this tadka over the Sprouted Moong Beans Salad. Toss them well and serve.
• Add the chilli-lime dressing and salt, pepper to taste just 10 minutes before serving to retain the crunch and freshness of beans and vegetables in salad.
• You can serve it on its own or as a stuffing for wraps, rolls or sandwiches too.