Curried Mung Bean Sprouts

I tried out something completely new today! Recently I have been venturing more into the world of raw and sprouted foods, inspired by some friends of mine who have "gone raw". I'm not quite that adventurous, but I do want to implement more raw foods into my diet. :-D 

Sprouting seeds and legumes greatly increases their nutritional content and digestibility, so sprouts are considered to be a super-food. And they are really simple to grow, so why miss out on such an inexpensive supplement to your diet?! :-)

Over the course of three days I sprouted mung beans, and then wondered - how can I use them - apart from in salad?! I don't particularly like the taste of raw mung sprouts myself, although they are so healthy, and I wondered how to make them more palatable.

I asked around, and a friend suggested lightly sauteing them with some seasoning. This idea worked out great for me because it changed the earthy raw taste to a surprisingly lovely nutty bean flavor. So here is the recipe which is the result of my experiment! :-)

This is how my fresh mung bean sprouts looked before I cooked them - I think they look abit like tadpoles with their funny tails!

Here is how my curried mung sprouts looked like when done:

I must say this dish is delicious, really quick to prepare and I will definitely be making it again! :-) Serves 4 as part of a larger meal.

Here is the meal I served along with the curried mung sprouts; roasted potato's on fresh rosemary skewers, home made hummus dip, curried sprouts, kiwi chocolate ice popsicle, raw zucchini veggie hummus wraps, lightly spiced wholewheat couscous. It was a super yummy lunch! :-)

Ingredients:

Approx 3 cups fresh mung bean sprouts

1 large organic tomato, washed and diced

1/2 TBSP coconut oil or ghee 

1 tsp curry powder (Frontier)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (Trader Joes)

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1/2 tsp black pepper

Sea salt to taste

Juice of 1/2 a fresh lime

Add oil or ghee to a pan set over medium heat. When hot drop in the curry powder, asafoetida and paprika. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add in tomato, sautee a few minutes and add in the sprouts. Sprinkle with black pepper and salt, stir to mix. Add 1 TBSP water. Lower heat, cover and cook for approx 10-15 mins. Remove from heat and add in the fresh lime juice. That's it - its so simple! :-) 

Offer with love. Great warm or cold, and can be added to sandwiches etc.

Tip: You can also add in other chopped veggies and fresh herbs like cilantro if you like.