Ankurit Mugachi Usal / Sprouted Green Gram Stir- Fry

Ankurit Moogachi Usal is a simple yet delicious and healthy sprouted green gram stir-fry cooked in a Maharashtrian style. This moogachi usal can be served as a side dish with chapati or simply had on its own as a flavorful salad. Made with minimal ingredients and very less oil this stir-fry can be made in a jiffy if you have sprouted green gram ready at hand. Goes well in the lunch box as well. The dish is vegan and if you skip the asafoetida while tempering, it can be gluten-free as well.

My family loves this ankurit moogachi usal and hence it is a regular affair at my place. I try to add sprouted beans in our diet at least twice every week either as stir-fries, curries or salads. My little one happily takes it in his lunch box or stuffs this stir-fry in his sandwiches and veg Frankie rolls. Apart from having whole green gram in sprouted form i do make Pesarattu, a healthy moong bean dosa very often.

What is sprouted Green Gram ?

The whole moong beans that have been sprouted are called moong sprouts or sprouted green gram. Moong sprouts are edible,  have a mildly sweet and nutty flavor and are crunchy. They can be eaten raw as well in salads but they are prone to bacterial contamination, hence they are often blanched before consumption.

Whole moong beans are cleaned, washed and soaked in water for 6-8 hours. They are drained, rinsed again and tied in a clean kitchen towel for 10-12 hours depending upon the climate. Water is sprinkled on the cloth to keep it moist. Once you see sprouts coming out of the kitchen towel, the moong sprouts are ready to use. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly before use. The sprouts can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and cooked as per need.

Health Benefits of Sprouted Green Gram

• Moong sprout is a nutrient-dense food. It is a good source of Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K. It is also rich in several nutrients like potassium, magnesium and phosphorous.
•  Moong sprouts are a good source of antioxidants that help neutralize the effects of free radicals in the body.
• The fiber from the sprouted moong has been linked to lower LDL Cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels thus decreasing the risk of heart diseases. 
• The high fiber content of these sprouts gives you a feeling of fullness thus aid in weight loss.
• Sprouts are easily digestible since complex nutrients are broken down into simpler substances. The presence of pectin in it helps in the smoother passage of bowels and clearing your gut of the food. Click here to read more about it.

What all goes into this sprouted green gram stir-fry?

This is a very simple stir fry and all the ingredients used in it are basic and easily found in any Indian pantry. 

• Sprouted Moong: I have sprouted the whole moong beans at home. You may use store-bought if you wish to. Sprouted moong can be replaced with sprouted moth beans also. Only the cooking time will differ a bit as moth sprouts take a little longer time to cook as compared to the mung sprouts. 
• Peanuts: I have used about 2 tablespoons of peanuts here. Peanuts add to the protein content of this stir-fry and give it an appealing nutty flavor and crunch to the dish so do not skip it.
• Garlic: Minced or grated garlic can be used in this stir fry.
• Curry leaves: A sprig of curry leaf is used here. it can be skipped if you do not have it handy but would recommend its use.
• Green chilies: I have used finely chopped green chilies as we like this stir fry to be a bit spicy. You can avoid it completely if feeding this stir fry to kids or if you cannot tolerate so much spice.
• A basic oil tempering of mustard seeds, cumin seeds asafoetida and turmeric powder is done in this stir fry, as I do for almost all my stir-fries and dals.
• Onion and tomatoes: Finely chopped onion and tomato add a lovely and appealing taste to this sprouted moong stir fry.
• Spice powders - As this is a spicy stir fry, I have added red chilly powder and goda masala apart from the green chilies. You may adjust the amount of red chilly as per your taste and goda masala can be substituted with garam masala if not easily available.
• Fresh coriander leaves: This is optional but definitely adds a refreshing flavor to the stir fry so add it if you have it handy.
• Lemon juice. I squeeze a juice of one lemon to this stir-fry at the end just before serving. This is also optional but I love that zesty flavor and of course, it adds to your daily Vitamin C intake. 

The Event-related to this Post:

I made this delicious and healthy Ankurit Mugachi Usal for the #221th Foodie Monday Bloghop event with Moong Magic as the theme for this week. This theme was suggested by Swaty who blogs at Foodtrails. Swaty wanted us to cook any dish with whole green moong as a star ingredient. As this sprouted green gram is a regular affair at my home i chose to contribute this dish to the event. Meanwhile do check out swaty's space for many scrumptious dishes both from regional and International cuisine. I find her writing style and food styling very interesting.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup moong sprouts / sprouted green gram
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 large tomato finely chopped
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 tablespoon peanuts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 /4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Pinch of asafoetida
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon goda or garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Add mustard seeds to it. Once the seeds splutter, add cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Next, add asafoetida followed by peanuts. Allow the peanuts to fry until they turn crisp. Keep the flame low to avoid the peanuts from turning brown. Next, add the curry leaves, green chilies and minced garlic. Fry until the raw smell of garlic goes away.

2. Now add the chopped onions followed by the tomatoes. Stir fry the veggies for 1-2 minutes.

3. Now add the spice powders, turmeric powder, red chili powder and goda masala. Mix well and fry the spices on low flame for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the rinsed sprouted moong and salt to the masala and stir fry everything for 1-2 minutes and cover cook for 3-5 minutes max. Do not overcook the sprouts as they lose their nutrition and they taste best when they retain a bit of crunch in them.

5. Open the lid and put off the flame. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon to it and garnish the stir-fry with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Give a quick stir and serve the healthy and delicious ankurit mugachi uasal with chapati.

                           

Recipe Notes:

• To make moong sprouts at home: Whole moong beans are cleaned, washed and soaked in water for 6-8 hours. They are drained, rinsed again and tied in a clean kitchen towel for 10-12 hours depending upon the climate. Water is sprinkled on the cloth to keep it moist. Once you see sprouts coming out of the kitchen towel, the moong sprouts are ready to use. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly before use. The sprouts can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and cooked as per need.
• Sprouted moong can be replaced with sprouted moth beans also. Only the cooking time will differ a bit as moth sprouts take a little longer time to cook as compared to the mung sprouts. 
• Green chilies can be skipped if you cannot tolerate much spice.
• Do not skip peanuts as they add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor to the stir fry.
• Do not overcook the sprouts as they tend to lose their nutritional value and also as they taste great when they retain a bit of crunch in them.

I hope some of you would love to try out this recipe. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the comment section below this post. All your suggestions are also more than welcome. If you like my work and feel it is worth following, do hit the follow button at the top right corner of this blog. Your appreciation means a lot to me. For more recipes and new updates follow us on social media.

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