mixed sprouts

What is mixed sprouts ? Glossary | Benefits, Uses, Recipes with mixed sprouts | Viewed 104710 times

What is mixed sprouts?


Mixed sprouts can be a combination of sprouted moong, matki, kala chana, safed vatana, kabuli chana, chawli . You may pick and choose what you wish to use as all sprouts are healthy. In Indian markets you just ask for the combination you want.
Sprouts can grow from the seeds of vegetables such as broccoli and radish, from grains such as alfalfa and buckwheat, and from beans such as lentils and soybeans. These sprouts vary in texture and taste. Some are spicy like radish and onion sprouts, some are hardy, standing up to brief cooking like moong bean and soybean, while others are more delicate like alfalfa and pea, and used in salads and sandwiches to add texture and moistness. The flavours range from a garden-fresh sweet pea to a mild radish. Hence, a combination of mixed sprouts will give different colours, flavours, and textures, giving a subtle nutty flavour and an appealing mouth-feel.


How to select mixed sprouts


• Choose crisp sprouts with firm, moist, white roots. Do not buy musty-smelling, dark, or slimy sprouts.

Culinary Uses of mixed sprouts in Indian Cooking


• A colourful snack, so easy and versatile to use in many delicious recipes.
• Mixed sprouts make a healthy salad, are great to make sandwiches with, and an excellent addition to dips, soups and casseroles, especially for vegans and vegetarians.
• Sprouts are popular in Indian, Chinese, Mexican and Korean cuisine in tasty dishes such as Falafel and Bhel Puri.
• Best eaten raw, they are quick and easy to use straight from your fridge. As sprouts are not cut and are still living, their cell walls remain intact. So do their nutrients! They remain fresh and delicious with a crunchy texture throughout their shelf life.
• Sprouts make delicious sandwich fillings. They are ideal for filling fajitas and wraps, for adding to stir-fries, sprinkling on soups, stirring into casseroles – in short, the perfect ingredient to enhance your healthy diet.
• As for salads, they go well with creamy dressings made with tofu, yoghurt or mayonnaise. Nutty and delicious mixed sprouts together with fresh orange pieces, walnuts and raisins make a wonderful fruit and nut salad.

How to store mixed sprouts


• Store sprouts in the vegetable crisper for up to 3 days and use as soon as possible.
• It should be refrigerated in a ventilated plastic container.

Health benefits of mixed sprouts

Sprouts contain enzymes that aid digestion and are alkaline in nature. Sprouting increases the availability of proteins. For example, on sprouting, the protein content of moong increases by 30%.  On sprouting, the seed becomes a veritable nutrient factory with a greater concentration of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and B-complex. Sprouts are a good source of fibre , good for diabetic and heart friendly. See detailed health benefits of sprouts. 

Boiled and crushed mixed sprouts
To boil mixed sprouts, boil enough water in a deep pan, add a pinch of salt and add the sprouts, cover and cook till they turn soft and tender. Alternatively, you can also place them in a sieve and then place on a stand in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 1-2 whistles or till they are cooked well. Once boiled, cool and grind in a mixer into a coarse mixture and use as per the recipe requirement.
Boiled and mashed mixed sprouts
Boil mixed sprouts and drain the excess water. Place this on a plate and mash it well using a potato masher to get mashed mixed sprouts. Place boiled and drained mixed sprouts on a plate and mash it using a potato masher to get mashed mixed sprouts. This can be used to make different kinds of rotis and other dishes.

Boiled mixed sprouts
It is always beneficial to sprout and boil each item separately. and then mix them as each bean or lentil takes a different time for cooking. Do not overcook any of the sprouts as it will lose its identity and turn mushy.


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Parboiled mixed sprouts

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