A steamed bowl of mixed sprouts, moong, matki and chana; dressed with lemon, cumin and coriander; the notebook's opening recipe and its simplest protein.
Breakfast · 10 min prep · 10 min cook · serves 2 Newly added
Ingredients
- 1 cup moong sprouts
- ½ cup matki (moth bean) sprouts
- ½ cup chana (black chickpea) sprouts , skin-on, sprouted 48 hours
- 2 tbsp water , for steaming
- 1 tbsp lemon , juice
- ½ tsp cumin powder , dry-roasted
- ½ tsp ginger (fresh) , grated
- to taste rock salt
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves , chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut (fresh grated) , optional
Preparation
-
Steam the mixed sprouts over boiling water (or in a covered pan with the 2 tablespoons of water) for 2–4 minutes, they should stay slightly crunchy.
-
Transfer to a bowl and let the steam die down for a minute.
-
Dress with lemon juice, roasted cumin, ginger and rock salt; toss gently.
-
Finish with coriander and the optional coconut; eat warm or at room temperature.
In the tradition
The notebook opens with the humblest thing in it: a bowl of sprouts. Sprouting overnight transforms stored legumes into living food, lighter to digest, richer in vitamin C; and steaming keeps even chana sprouts kind to the stomach. It is the notebook’s idea of a default breakfast, the way an apple might be in another tradition.
Sources & further reading
- Family recipe notebook (recipe #1, "Sprouts: moong, matki, chana, 1 bowl")
- Charaka Samhita (Sūtrasthāna 27, mudga among the wholesome pulses)
Classical citations mark where a tradition is drawn on; modern books are shared as further reading, not as prescriptions.