Sprouted Mung beans curry

Mung beans are  full of protein.  They can be cooked in several ways.   For this recipe, I soaked them overnight and then left them covered in a warm place so that they start sprouting.   Making the curry is very similar to cooking the simple mung bean curry.

Ingredients (for 3-4 servings):

2 cups of sprouted mung beans
2 tablespoons oil ( I used sunflower oil)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 small pieces of cinnamon sticks
2 or 3 cloves
1 or 2 small dry red chillies (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilly powder
2 green chillies sliced through the middle ( if you like hot food!)
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
3-4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sugar or jaggery
1 tablespoon lemon juice (can use more if you like sweet and sour taste)
2 cups of crushed tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes can be used but would need to be softened a bit before adding.
a few curry leaves and a small bunch of coriandar

Method

1. To sprout the beans, wash the mung beans and allow them to soak overnight.  The next morning, remove all the water and keep the beans covered in a warm place.  I tend to keep these in a see through jug or bottle covered with a dark plastic bag.  Keep these overnight and they should have started to sprout.  In cold countries, you may have to leave them for half a day more to sprout. Once sprouted, wash the mung beans and use in curries or salad. Any extra beans can be frozen to use next time.

2.  Add a litre of water to the mug and boil them until they soften and split - I used a pressure cooker and cooked them for 40 minutes on a medium heat.  Some people like their mung beans  runny and can add more water.  I prefer mine to be thick so don't add too much water to them whilst cooking them.  Also, it's always easier to add water to the mug as it is cooking so start off with just a litre of water.

Whilst the mung beans are cooking, prepare the spices etc:

3.   Blend the tomatoes in a bowl.

4.   Add the tomato puri, salt, turmeric, chilly powder, sugar, lemon juice, the green chillies, crushed ginger, crushed garlic and coriander and curry leaves to the tomatoes and mix well.

5.   Once the mung beans have cooked - prepare the seasoning.

6.   Pour the oil in a saucepan and let it get hot.

7.  Add in the cinnamon, cloves, the dry red chillies and mustard seeds to the oil. The mustard seeds and cloves will pop so keep the saucepan covered.

10.  Add the tomato mixture with all the spices to the oil and stir well.  Cook for 3-4 minutes.

10. Now add the cooked mung beans to the tomato mixture and allow it to cook for 10 minutes.  At this stage, you can either cook it further to reduce the water - or add water to the mung - depending on how you like your mung bean gravy.

11.  Sprinkle coriander and serve the mung beans hot with rice or chappatis or porathas.

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