Salads in their traditional sense are a not as popular in Indian cuisine. However, side salads consisting of cucumber, tomato or onion, without the leafy greens, are a very popular part of the Indian culinary repertoire. This colorful and vibrant salad uses sprouted mung beans, a nutritional powerhouse packed with protein. Carrots, cucumber and red onion add a nice crunch, and lime juice and kala namak add a tanginess to the dish.
The actual preparation of the salad takes just minutes, but you will need to sprout the mung first. To do so, you simply soak the mung in water overnight, or for at least 8 hours. You then drain the mung and keep it covered in a warm, dry place. Make sure to rinse it twice a day to prevent any water from going rancid. The mung beans will take about 24-48 hours to sprout and will look like the below image when ready.
This salad will be completely raw. There is no need to cook the mung beans. It adds a really nice crunch when served with dal and rice. I added carrots, cucumber and red onion to the dish. If you would like to add any other raw vegetables like radish or tomato, feel free! It is seasoned quite simply with lime juice, cumin powder, salt and kala namak or black salt. Kala namak is also known as Himalayan black salt and has a very unique taste and smell as it smells slightly sulfurous. It should be available at any Indian grocery store, and I believe Whole Foods carries it as well. If you can’t find it, no problem! The cumin does the trick on its own!
I hope you will enjoy this as a fresh addition to your Indian food plate!
Sprouted Mung Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup green mung lentils (dal)
- 1/4 red onion chopped finely
- 1-2 carrots chopped finely
- 1 lime
- 1/2 English cucumber seeded, peeled and chopped finely
- 1 handful cilantro chopped finely
- 1 tsp kala namak (black salt)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
Sprout the Mung
- Soak 1/4 cup mung in water overnight, or for at least 8 hours. The mung expands when sprouting so make sure to choose the appropriate amount to soak.
- Once mung has been soaked, drain the mung and cover with a plate or lid. Store in a warm location. You can keep it on the counter or in the oven with the light on.
- Rinse the mung at least twice a day. The mung will take 24-48 hours to fully sprout.
Prepare the salad
- Once veggies and mung are chopped, combine in a mixing bowl.
- Add the juice of 1 lime.
- Add the spices: kala namak, cumin and salt. If you do not have kala namak, chaat masala or just cumin would be a fine substitute.
- Add the cilantro and mix well. Allow the flavors to blend for 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve as a side dish to Indian food!
Notes
