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As offices shift to a hybrid format with some days of the week dedicated to work-from-home while others require going to office, time-saving hacks with food are the need of the hour. Overnight sprouts—be it black chickpeas, green grams or black-eyed peas—are perhaps one of the quickest ways to add texture, flavour and nutrition to office lunches. To plan your meal ahead, here’s a list of recipes that includes a umami-rich Korean salad too.
The very desi sprout salad
One can’t go wrong with a salad that has cumin powder, red chilli powder and aamchur, and Hebbar’s Kitchen knows. It also has fresh chopped chillies and coriander leaves—essentially everything that one can easily find in the kitchen. It doesn’t need any oil; but who needs the fat component when there’s a whole lot of spice! If you want extra heat, add a smidgen of crushed ginger.
The methi twist
While most sprout salads, do not contain a leafy green vegetable, there’s a recipe on Tarla Dalal’s YouTube channel that has fresh methi leaves. The base is a mix of sprouted grams such as green moong, chickpeas, black chickpeas and more. You could make do with whatever is readily available. The sprouts need a quick boil followed by tempering with asafoetida and chillies in a little oil. It is believed that asafoetida helps digest leafy greens like moong and it adds flavour too. As a variation, swap the methi with spinach or amaranth leaves. To add a touch of sweetness and crunch, toss in fresh chopped coconut. For a nutty flavour, mix in toasted pumpkin seeds.
Korean Mung Bean Sprouts
When it comes to Korean food channels on YouTube, Maangchi is equivalent to BTS. Emily Kim who goes by the name Maangchi on the video platform, simplifies Korean cooking for a wide audience. One of her simplest recipes is a side dish called Sukjunamul-muchim or Mung bean sprouts. While she makes a side dish, it can be turned into a full meal by mixing in some noddles and vegetables like beans and julienned carrots. You can top up with boiled egg halves and sprinkle some toasted sesame.
