Vegan Mung Bean Sprouts Salad

Beans and lentils are the best sources of protein for vegetarians and vegans. And Bean sprouts are far more nutritive than beans. Today's salad is a light and wholesome meal. 
If you are bored of the regular leafy salads and are looking for something different, this warm sprouts salad with a hint of mango and ginger is something you should try.

Ingredients:
Dry Mung Beans - 1/2 cup
Red Onion - 1 small
Tomato - 1 small
Lettuce - about 1/2 cup
Green Lime - 1
Ginger - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder - 1 tsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

How to make Bean Sprouts Salad:

• MAKING SPROUTS: Soak mung beans in plenty of water for 8 - 10 hours. After soaking, beans will almost double in quantity. Wash the soaked beans well and drain the water completely. Make sure there is no water, or else sprouts might decay. Cover the vessel with a lid and leave it overnight in a warm place to sprout. Alternately, you can tie the soaked beans in a cloth as well.

• Heat 3 - 4 cups of water in a pot. Bring it to a boil and add sprouts. Cook it covered for about 5 minutes. Cook it longer if you like sprouts slightly soft.  I prefer slightly crunchy, but not raw. Skip this cooking step if you like raw sprouts.
• Drain the water and add the sprouts to a strainer or colander to remove excess water.
• If you don't like mung bean, take a look at this Chickpea Carrot Salad.
• Meanwhile, chop the veggies. Discard the seeds and the soft pulp of the tomato and finely chop it. Finely chop onions and lettuce. Extract the juice of 1 lime. Grate fresh ginger. Instead of red onions, you can use green onions/scallions as well.
• In a mixing bowl, add tomatoes, onions, lettuce, ginger, freshly ground black pepper and mango powder. Add half of the lime juice and little salt. Add cooked sprouts and mix well. Taste the salad and add more lime juice if required. Lime juice is a healthier alternative if you want to cut down your sodium/salt intake.

• Every time I make this salad, I use different veggies. You could try some variations of your own - adding grated cucumber/kakdi, grated carrots/gajar, finely chopped raw mango, finely chopped bell peppers/capsicums. For more flavor, you can also add roasted peanuts (whole or powdered), cashews or some shredded (fresh or frozen) coconut.
• To add some carbohydrates, you can also add finely chopped boiled potato.

Garnish Sprouts Salad with cilantro or green onions and serve warm or cold with lime wedges.