Sprouted Chana Bhel

While passing by the petrol pump near my home a nice aroma always caught my attention. No not from the petrol pump. I can't tolerate the smell of petrol or diesel. A hawker used to sell chana Bhel near its entrance . I dont know if it is really called chana bhel or something else. All I know is he boiled green chanas and added onions, tomato, potatoes and some special masala. All this priced at just Rs 2 (=5 cents). Maybe it still costs the same. But the only problem was that he was always surrounded by the men from the nearby garages so it felt awkward to buy those chana. But I used to request my brother H to bring it for me.
I had some kala chana lying in my pantry from a long time. I wanted to use it but didnt know what to do with it. So i thought of sprouting it. Again the question arose what to make with the sprouted ones. Suddenly the idea of making the bhel came to my mind. And here's what i did.

Ingredients:

Kala Chana/Green Chana - 1/2 cup sprouted
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Boiled Potato - 1 medium, cut into cubes
Lime juice
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp or less
Chaat Masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnish
Salt

Boil the Sprouted Chana till soft but firm.(around 1-2 whistles in pressure cooker). Drain the water from the chana. In a bowl take chana and add all other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings. Enjoy your nutritious bhel with a cup of tea or as an appetizer.


Note: It is not necessary to sprout the chana. You can just soak the chana in water and boil it. But sprouting makes it healthier. The original(Chana wala bhaiya's) version has green chana without sprouts. This bhel can also be made with Moong Sprouts. Just use sprouted moong in place of Chana. Moong need not be boiled.
This is a Zero Oil Recipe which makes it a perfect diet food.

Sprouts
Pulses have 20-25% protein by weight. Sprouting further increases the protein, vitamins and amino acid content and decreases the undesireable constituents.
To make sprouts, wash and soak the desired pulses in water for 8 hrs or overnight. Next morning drain all water, put the pulses in a colander and cover with a plate. Keep this in a warm place. After few hours you will notice small sprouts emerging from the seeds. Keep checking from time to time and sprinkle few drops of water if it looks too dry. The time for sprouting varies for different kinds of pulses. Sprouts can be made in advance and stored in ziplock bags in the freezer for future use.


I am sending this to My Legume Love Affair event which is the brain child of The well seasoned Cook Susan and is hosted by Srivalli.



Also sending this to JFI: Chickpea event