Hello Readers! Hope you are doing great and eating lots. After all, this is the season to enjoy and being merry. You must have realised through my earlier posts that I am a no compromise foodie. Whatever it takes, I cannot compromise on taste. My preference for taste goes to the extent that sometimes I prioritise taste over health. Although, keeping the taste intact without giving up on health is my biggest quest, and almost all my recipes strive to do the same, by following the recommended practices like slow cooking and choosing seasonal vegetables etc.
Also, with this venture called blog, as I progress into my understanding and knowledge of food, I gradually realise, that taste and health go hand in hand contrary to the belief I had. And it would be wrong to say that I was completely unaware of the same. Because, as and when I dig into my childhood days and attempt to prepare the dishes which were my favourites, I realise how healthy and how tasty these simple dishes are, passed on from one generation to another.
One such dish is Narkel Diye Mooger Jala or Raw Sprouts & Coconut Salad. Although briefly, I already have mentioned my special liking for Mooger Jala Prasad in the recipe post, Boiled Green Gram Salad. So yes, this salad was one of the offering made to God at my home, when the Gods and Goddeses placed in Puja Sinhasana (special seat in Hindu Houses made exclusively for the deities to be worshipped), wanted a break from the regular offerings of seasonal fruits and bananas. Although owing to the traditional regulations combined with paucity of time to take out rock salt on time, the poor Gods mostly managed the salad without salt 😌. But weirdly, we humans at my home did not have that weird obligations, and relished the Raw Sprouts & Coconut Salad after adding sufficient salt as per our taste bud.
As I was and I am not a big lover of fruits, on any day, I always used to make excuses, till the fruits in the form of Prasada were consumed by someone else. Even though my success ratio of accomplishing the target was quite low, but it used to be a huge relief on the rare occasions I succeeded. However, the days when Mooger Jala was the Prasad, my approach towards Prasadam would completely change. I would hover around the Puja place, so that the person in charge of distributing the Prasada did not miss me.
Yes, such was the magic of this simple and humble salad made with just five ingredients (refer Ingredients section). And each and every ingredient added in this salad just complements the dish without overpowering the taste. The salad is so simple to prepare, that some people who know the salad might get surprised to see it as a part of a recipe post, as for many of us the process of preparing the dish is as apparent as spreading butter on a bread. But, as we live in a world which has got so many divergences, sharing is the only way to become closer.
So here I am, sharing another recipe from my childhood favourites, which is for sure going to delight you with health and taste😊.
Recipe: Narkel Diye Mooger Jala Or Raw Sprouts & Coconut Salad
Preparation Time: Around 45 minutes (includes grating coconut manually) Equipment Used: A mixing bowl, spoon, a coconut grater, a grater to grate ginger, scissor to chop green chilli Yield: 10 small bowls (approx.)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup green moong
- One half of a fresh coconut
- 2-3 green chillies
- Ginger (1.25 inch X 0.75 inch)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Method:
- Soak the green moong atleast two nights before you are preparing the salad
- Change the water every morning till sprouting is done
- Once the seeds put out shoots, drain the water and keep the seeds refrigerated, if you are not consuming immediately
- For preparing the salad, grate the coconut
- Add the sprouts in a mixing bowl, along with grated coconut
- Chop green chilli and grate ginger into the bowl
- Add salt
- Mix the ingredients with a spoon and the salad is ready
Soak the green moong atleast two nights in advance
Drain the water once the seeds put out shoots.
Grate one half of a fresh coconut.
Add the sprouts in a mixing bowl.
Add grated coconut.
Chop green chilli into the bowl.
Grate ginger and add to the ingredients in the bowl.
Add salt.
Mix the ingredients with a spoon.
Tips:
- This no oil Raw Sprouts & Coconut Salad is a very good source of protein and hence aids in body building. Have it after your morning cardio
- Since this recipe does not use oil, it is also suitable for people who are on diet
- You can consume this dish anytime as breakfast, lunch or dinner
- You can also chop the coconut instead of grating it
