Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Green Moong in the Microwave


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Mommy is tired, it is late Thursday evening, there are no fresh fruits for the next day afternoon snack at school, so Mommy retrieves the lone chocolate pudding cup from the pantry and packs it for snack next day.

“That is not a healthy snack”, pipes in the 4 year old whose snack is being packed
“Mmmmmm…” goes Mommy, “not very but it is ok to have once in a while”. Mommy reassures both the kiddo and herself. After all a chocolate pudding once in two weeks can do no big harm given bigger scheme of things like global warming or even tumbling economy, she thinks.

“Does it have sugar? More or less?”, the kid is relentless

“The sugar is high no doubt but it has some calcium too”, Mom tries to reach for the last straw frantically reading the nutrition content at the back of the pack. She has no other snack option left for Friday and it is either this or goldfish & pretzels at school

“Is calcium good?”

“Yeah calcium builds your bone and teeth and there is plenty in milk. But you are right about this pudding not really being healthy, maybe I will find you something else for tomorrows snack”, finally says Mom who is now guilty of her own doing

Am I glad or what? I like the 4 year olds awareness but I don’t want her or us to overdo it and then go on a junkfood binge in her teens. I feel a balance is necessary and if I deprive her of some things for too long, it will only be more coveted

I try to make her eat healthy but I am not paranoid about it. Edibles like chips, soda and candy were strictly prohibited till age of three. After that she was allowed some in moderation but since she does not like any kind of soda and chips are not stocked at home she gets to eat them only occasionally.

Given that she was a pretty picky eater initially and would not munch on her veggies, I see a great change in her however. For a long time the best way to get veggies into her were making her favorite chicken stew and rice. She liked eggs and also developed a strong love for fish by the time she was 3, and also became more experimental about eating around at that time. Though she wouldn’t still munch on a raw carrot she was more open to trying out new vegetables and even new dishes.

These days she eats a balanced Indian meal at home, ok maybe not everything that I cook but she tries out most of them. She is also more aware of the food she eats and even munches on baby carrots with a dip, piping in a question every now and then about the health benefit of the meal offered. Though aware of the golden arch, she is not really interested in them or their toys and happy to share a sandwich with us at Panera breads instead.

I think her school and her teacher also has an important role to play in her food and I am really thankful for that. ***Knock on Wood***.But for all moms who despair about their little ones meal habits, I can only assure it gets better so don't break your head over it.


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This Whole Green Moong in the microwave is a quick and delicious way to get the goodness of the grain if you haven’t had the time to sprout them. You can soak them for a couple of hours or overnight. Since I did it for breakfast, I soaked them overnight.

This is usually eaten by itself and you can serve it for breakfast, lunch or snack whatever you prefer. Since my friend R~ taught me this we make it pretty often at home and you have infinite possibilities to jazz it up the way you wish.

I just realized I could send this for WBB#20 -- Balanced Breakfast at Mansi's Fun and Food. It has Whole Grains and also cucumber & onions, so it meets her requirement I guess, so there it goes.


Read more...




Green Moong in Microwave



What You Need

Whole Green Moong ~ 2 & ½ cups of the soaked moong

Whole Cumin/Jeera ~ 1tsp
Asafoetida/Hing ~ ¼ tsp
Green Chillies ~ 5-6 chopped fine

Fresh Ginger ~ an inch of ginger chopped in juliennes
Corriander Powder ~ 1 tsp
Amchur Powder ~ 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder (optional) ~ according to taste

Salt
Olive Oil ~ ½ tbsp

For Garnish

Finely chopped cucumber & red onions
Lime Juice ~ 2-3 tsp

How I did It

In a microwaveable bowl add olive oil, asafoetida, cumin seeds and chopped green chillies
Microwave for 2 minutes

To it add the green moong which had been previously soaked.
Add about 2 cups of water
Add fresh ginger, coriander powder, amchur powder and red chilli powder and salt
Microwave for about 10-12 minutes

Depending on the time you have soaked the moong, the amount of water and time to microwave may vary. This is the reason I do it in chunks of time.
After 10-12 minutes check the water and the moong. If it is not done and the water has dried up add some more water and microwave for 3-4 more minutes

Continue this till the moong turns soft and moist with no extra water

Garnish with lime juice, chopped cucumber and chopped red onions.

Have a healthy bowl


BTW, if you are a Mom and are on the verge of deciding on schools for your kid, you might find good information on Desi Momz Club this month. Most of them are about school admissions in India and you can send your input if you like.


Trivia: Mung bean starch, which is obtained from ground mung beans, is used to make transparent cellophane noodles

28 comments:

  1. Microwaving the mung is a great idea. Never thought of it before. Lil S is a smart gal! :)

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  2. hey thats a very nice recipe

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  3. I still do the same thing with mishti when i want to sham out but she makes me remember that we should eat healthy...these kids!Your daughter's antics really make me smile:)Iam sure going to try out this microwave mung..i do this in a pressure cooker or steam it in a steamer.

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  4. muah to little S... god, she sounds quite mature for her age:) now a days kids are smarter than us.

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  5. Sandeepa,I could really picture myself and the kids in your chit chat with little S...we have that conversation every day, well during every meal...and yes,sermonising them sometimes does backfire indeed :-)

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  6. Green Moong sundal as we call it will impress even the golden arch craving little ones like mine. Little S is smarter than you Sandeepa! Get used to it :) Now don't go all mad on me.

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  7. I'm really impressed with little S! Imagine not being keen on pudding at her age! Good for you, Sandeepa!

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  8. Little S reminds me of big T who refused to eat chocolates when she was a kid because they would spoil her teeth :) Now of course its a different story .
    Green moong is one of our favourites - good thinh remind korley kaal banabo for breakfast :P

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  9. Does this mean I had a dumb childhood? :(

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  10. that's a nice idea to microwave green moong. Looks lovely and delicious and ofcourse healthy. Enjoyed reading your post.

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  11. Lovely snack, and very quick too! Microwaved moong chaat is a cool idea, Sandeepa! Lil' S is really a smart kid :). And its great that she's enjoying the vegetables!

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  12. So good to be reading your posts again :) Welcome back!!! And I'm going to try this - it sounds good!

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  13. Looks yummy and healthy too. I love moong dal a lot. Nice one...

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  14. sandeepa, that sounds like a great evening snack recipe! tomai RCI recipe pathiye diyechi... pele bolo.

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  15. forgot to add.. love the boti post and the jamini roy addition to RCI!

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  16. microwaving moong is nice idea..this is very healthy recipe..

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  17. God bless you for your conscentious ways! Your daughter is one sweet, smart cookie :-)

    smita

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  18. thats so sweet of your daughter...i think kids these days are so smart..we really dont' have answers most of the time...i guess we need to let them have all types once in a while....but great to know your lil one is keen on veggies..

    Now I am off with my cap to search for bajjo..oops Bhaja..am planning to make with bitter gourd as you suggested...just wanted to know if there is a specific way your bongs do..:D...

    by all means you hide again..just come out by the deadline time..

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  19. Ki paka thomar S! That made me giggle.

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  20. Give me Mung in any form I can eat it . this is really a good boost to stay active till noon :).

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  21. it looks so appetizing Sandeepa,
    I guess I will skip aamchur and add Lemon juice ..
    Ki bolo ekto kom tok hobe ..

    and i like Lil s having so frank conversation with you ..that indeed is great .. even my lil one seems to be bit curiuos about food habits these days ..
    hugs and smiles
    jaya

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  22. I just posted a moong dal dish too! Yours looks fab. I've never tried to nuke dals. Little S is getting big, huh? She sounds so cute!
    Hope you are doing well, San. Take care!

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  23. simple and healthy!!! i love the pic too!!! how ve you been, Sandeepa??? Long time!!!!!

    life's been busy at my end too now that i am working ...

    and hey, wanted to share this article from NPR about "food" with you ..read it when you find time...:)
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88505980&sc=emaf

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  24. http://www.npr.org/templates/
    story/story.php?storyId=88505980
    &sc=emaf

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  25. that sure meets the balanced breakfast criteria Sandeepa! I'm glad you are not having as hard a time with your kid as some of the other mothers in my office!:)

    thanks for a wonderful entry!

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  26. Sandeepa so great to see you back. Green moong surely is a healthy balanced breakfast. But what can i say- i was a brat as a kid- never had moong then and dont have it even now (although P loves it to no end)- i should start out with your recipe - will try adding some chaat masala - will make him happy:)

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  27. Feels great to read about Little S again. Good girl, Little S!

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  28. The perfect combination to that recipe would be a couple of eggs and some of butter. Sounds weird but when you cook this on the skillet the taste it's just perfect.

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