Turning dull, hard seeds into crunchy, fresh food using just water feels like nothing short of a miracle in a “Jack and the Beanstalk” way. Of course, you don’t need to sprout your own, as supermarkets, health food shops, and Asian supermarkets have already done that for you. But if you’re itching to give it a go, then click here for instructions on how to sprout like a pro. Sprouting changes a legume’s nutritional profile: by kick-starting the whole germination process, the seed quadruples in nutrients, like potassium, protein, and B vitamins, making it extraordinarily good for you.
When mixed with other companions like tomatoes, scallions, ginger, and a lively mustard dressing, sprouts make a fantastically crunchy and zingy salad, excellent with any sort of dal, rice, curry, or bread.
Serves 6 as a side
½ pound ripe baby plum tomatoes
½ pound red radishes
8 scallions
½ a cucumber
¾-inch piece of ginger, peeled
1¼ cups cilantro, finely chopped
½ pound sprouted mung beans or mixed legumes
FOR THE DRESSING
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
juice of ½ a lemon
Chop, chop, chop all the vegetables: into tiny dice for the tomatoes; into fine slices for the radishes and scallions (don’t forget to trim them); then halve the cucumber lengthways, scoop the seeds out with a teaspoon, and finely dice this too. Cut the ginger into tiny dice, and throw all the chopped vegetables and cilantro into a serving bowl with the sprouted beans.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, salt, sugar, oil, and lemon juice and drizzle all over your salad. Boom.
