Moong bean sprouts pulao/ pilaf

Ever since I was little I remember my mother making sprouts and curries using the sprouts. There is a very traditional konkani dish that is made called muga ghashi which translates to moong bean sprout curry. You can find the recipe for the same here. My mother also makes moong bean sprout salad. I use moong bean in a variety of dishes. This time I decided to make pulao/ pilaf with it and I must say that it was really good. I regularly make pulao. But this time I wanted to make something that the kids would eat too. I was pleasantly surprised when my kids ate the pulao without even noticing it!  Mission accomplished! This is a very quick and simple recipe wherein one can utilize leftover cooked rice. It is also a great way to get your children to eat healthy. This is a one pot meal that can be had for breakfast, lunch or dinner.I am bringing this to my friend Angie's Fiesta Friday #88! A party I try not to miss! To top it, my friends Julie@ Hostess at heart and Liz @ Spades, spatulas and spoons are co-hosting this week!

Servings: 4-6 ( 1.5 cups per person)

Ingredients:

Cooked rice : 4 cups
Moong bean sprouts: 2 cups
Sliced mushrooms: 1 cup
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1 medium-sized, chopped
Cloves: 2 nos
Cinnamon: 1 inch stick
Cardamom: 1-2 pods
Bay leaf: 1 small
Cumin seeds( jeera): 1/2 tsp
Green chillies: 1-2 , chopped fine, adjust as per individual taste.
Bell pepper ( capsicum): 1 small, diced small.
Cilantro, chopped: 1/4 cup for garnishing

Method:

Heat oil in a sauté pan/ kadai. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves, one after the other. Sauté for 10-15 seconds.

Now add the chopped onions and cook it until it turns a little golden in color.

Add the chopped green chillies, moong bean sprouts and salt. Cook until the moong beans are partially cooked.

Add in the mushrooms and bell peppers and sauté for 2 minutes. 

Add in the cooked rice and toss well until everything is nicely mixed. 

Add/garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with a raita of your choice.

Served with cucumber slices and easy chicken curry.

Cooking made easy:

Whenever I make sprouts, I cook it for 10 mins on the stove top or until slightly tender and then store it in the fridge to use as needed. You could make a lot of things with that, for example: salad, ghashi, pulao etc.

Tip for healthy living:

Experts recommend 4-5 servings of vegetables daily.You can increase the vegetable servings in your family's diet by trying to incorporate veggies into everything that you cook. If you are making sambar, you can add a lot of veggies, instead of just a little. If you are making one-pot dishes like pulao, fried rice, noodles, pasta, try to incorporate more vegetables into it. If your family is not used to eating vegetables, start by adding 1-2 vegetables that have been finely chopped and then gradually increase the number of vegetables added over a period of time.

Food for thought:

Anything unattempted remains impossible. Unknown