Another meal under 30 minutes | mixed sprouts and fenugreek tahiri and a vegetable kachumber salad

Sprouts are a good source of proteins, Vitamin C, Folate and fiber. We generally like our sprouts in salads and chaats and even jhalmuri type mixtures as evening snack.

Sprouts are best consumed raw and making them and keeping them for a few days is a task in summers because they get smelly due to bacterial contamination if not refrigerated well. Someone inquired me regarding this who is experiencing the same kind of problem in the coastal area even in winters. I fished out this recipe of sprouts tahiri from my drafts for S who finds eating sprouts difficult as sprouting and keeping the sprouts contamination free is difficult for her.

Hot and humid weather can always cause the sprouts to get contaminated. The best way to sprout any lentil is to soak them first overnight, drain well and keep them in a porous bowl till the sprouting begins. Wash them once under running water and then keep them refrigerated . It stays well for about a 2 weeks if washed again under running water after 4-5 days.

What when the sprouts are not consumed on time? I had such leftover mixed sprouts once and decided to make a nice tahiri with it and that recipe remained with me for the sheer utility of consuming any leftover sprouts at once. After cooking the sprouts will be free from live bacteria (or fungal spores or mycelia). These were mung, red lentil , horsegram and chickpea sprouts and the tahiri turned out to be a keeper recipe.

Now I do not measure when I soak the lentils for sprouting as I know I will be making them into a nice one pot meal at the end of it all.

When I posted the sesame and fenugreek rice, someone said fresh fenugreek will not be available in the season. Even this recipe requires fresh methi leaves but dry kasoori methi leaves can be used when you don't get fresh methi, so we can have this version of fenugreek flavored rice in the summers too.

ingredients...

mixed sprouts 2 cups 
raw basmati rice 1/2 cup
cubed potatoes 2/3 cup
diced onions 2/3 cup
dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) 1/4 cup
OR fresh fenugreek leaves 3 cups packed
bay leaves 2 nos.
dry red chillies 2-3 nos.
cumin seeds 2 tsp
crushed peppercorns 2 tsp
garam masala 1/2 tsp  or as desired
(i used my special garam masala)
finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp
salt to taste
lime juice 1 tbsp
ghee 1 tbsp

procedure...

Cook the rice separately in a pan or in the microwave till it is 90% done. In the mean time cook the potatoes and sprouts together so that everything can be mixed at the right time. The whole process takes under 20 minutes and you can chop the onion and tomatoes for the kachumber in the last step of cooking the rice covered for 5 minutes.

Heat ghee in a deep pan and throw in the cumin seeds, bay leave, dry red chillies and crushed peppercorns in that order, immediately add the cubed potatoes and diced onions, fry till a little pinkish.

Add the dry fenugreek leaves (crushed) and chopped ginger, mix well to coat the potato cubes. Add the garam masala and salt and cover to cook at low flame.

Add the mixed sprouts and toss and stir so that everything is mixed up nicely, we do not want to cook the sprouts too much.

Add the cooked rice and mix lightly. Sprinkle lime juice over it, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Prepare the kachumber in the meantime...

Serve hot with any vegetable based raita of kachumber salad... 

This was a chopped tomatoes, diced radish, diced onions and loads of rocket leaves, dressed with salt, pepper, chopped green chilies and a drizzle of mustard oil.You can use radish leaves or coriander leaves instead of rocket, I anyway use whatever fresh greens are available in the garden.

I need loads of raita or kachumber with such rice dishes. The same chopped vegetables mix can be turned into a raita by adding a cup of thick yogurt into the mix.

This tahiri is another recipe to make white rice more nutritious. Whenever I make such a tahiri or biryani, it is always with white rice. One reason is that the white rice absorbs flavors more and this is one super flavorful rice tahiri.

Another reason for using white rice in such recipes is that the rice is getting all the nutritive additives anyways. Whatever the rice lost during polishing and refining, is added back to it and some more.

Why not enjoy the white rice with all the flavors and health, occasionally when you absolutely detest brown rice. It happens sometimes. Make the white rice better for those times.