Sprouts : in salad, sandwich and dahi bhalla

Kitchen Reform Movement

Sprouts in grated or chopped salad vegetables

Kitchen Reform Movement. That was the name that S S Goindi, then director of the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan in Chandigarh, had given the effort that he and his wife, had launched, in order to improve the nutrition and health of people. The Gandhian couple, a picture of health—lean and mean in an enviable way—made and offered off beat buiscuits, soft drinks and even main courses, even as they promoted that kind of a cooking and eating. Over 25 years ago, Goindiji showed me a few pots of “wheat germ grass”, and discussed their  health quotient. And ten years ago, I saw the whole world of dietiticians, doctors, promoters of whole foods etc, go gaga over wheat germ grass.

Moong Bean sprouts

Why had he called his effort “Kitchen Reform?” was my question. Goindi replied that  because the concept of  kitchen and “balanced meal” had entered our homes, it could not be shooed out, and so reforming the kitchen was all we could do. He was against balanced meals because “it was not natural, but man made an idea”.

Then Goindiji gave an example from nature. Whenever I recall that, my hair stand on ends, in awe and admiration of Nature.

Sprout maker or Mini green house

“Look at the lion or the tiger. So beautiful, elegant, healthy. What do they eat? Only flesh.  Take the horse..what does it eat? Only grass. And look at its body.So majestic. Look at the gait, the speed. Admirable! Where is the concept of a balanced meal ? And what has balanced meal made of man?”

In Goindiji’s s view the modern equivalent of that for us, the home sapiens, is sprouts.They served many things made of sprouts, but in this post, I will share my experience of making sprouts two different ways, and a couple of ways in which I use the sprouts.

Moon sprouts & Moong-Methi sprouts

My grandma and others of her generation generally soaked any grain over night, tied them up in a square piece of muslin or soft much-used-and-discarded-dhoti or saree bit, hung it some where convenient, and found them neatly sprouted a day or two later, depending on the weather, specifically, the humidity.

Sprouts made using a strainer

I had long been soaking moong or chana(chick pea/cow pea) overnight, and letting it stand in a huge strainger on which  I placed a lid, with the strainer resting on any convenient dish that would collect the few drops of water. And a day or two later, I’d have nice sprouts.

A great harvest!

Now there are one or double decker sprout maker  made of see through plastic , or fibre glass, with a dish below for water to create the humidity. It is also called, by some advertisers, the mini greenhouse! I have one of these, and am happay, as I sprout one or two or more varieties of grains, simultaneously –the latest being fenugreek—methi, slightly bitter, but said to be great to keep blood sugar level under check.

Sprouts with Dahi Bhalla

Sprouts are pretty versatile. Add a layer to the vegetables in the sandwich, use them on top of dahi bhalla, or simple toss a salad with finely chopped onions, grated carrots, chopped bell peppers . Finish it off with salt to taste and a dash of lime juice or vinegar. Perfect snack or snack-meal!

My husband tells our young daughter who pays through her nose for a cylinder of gas –she does not have a ration card in Bengalooru where she works—to eat sprouts, as that will save her time and energy,  being a ready made meal. It will save her the cost of gas, as you don’t have to cook it. Above all, it will make her healthy.

PS:

I asked Goindiji if  before the entry of kitchen  early man sprouted moong for lunch and dinner. He did not think I was being a brat or sarcastic. 

In simple words, he replied: “No, I think early man ate fruit..whatever grows locally. And raw vegetables. But since we cannot make people live on vegetables alone, I suggest sprouts also. It is about reforming the kitchen, not going back to nature. That may not be possible”