Green Moong & mothbeans salad

“How to be a connoisseur of food and still remain trim” is a book my friend M should write. Her food is always so yummy, so wonderfully flavourful and so appetizing to look at. While I always secretly wished I too had a metabolism (read: figure) like her, I was shocked to find her in a fitness clinic, for reasons diametrically opposite to mine – to gain weight ! So that’s it. Nobody is happy with herself. The dawning of the eternal truth upon me made me feel a lot better, so much better that I immediately soaked some legumes to carry a nice salad tomorrow for work. Without Dressing, and yet mouth-watering.

Moong –Matka salad( Green Moong & mothbeans salad)

Ingredients:

Moong sprouts

Matka(moth beans) sprouts

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Capsicum 

Fruits of your choice

How to:

1.      Steam or microwave moong and matka sprouts for 3-4 mins

2.      Mix it with grated ginger, rock salt,  chopped green chillies and any or all of the fruits like pomegranates, chopped apples, chopped grapes and chopped muskmelons.

3.      Sprinkle juice of half a lemon and chaat masala. Keep aside.

4.      Scrape 1 cucumber 1 capsicum and 1 tomato with a scraper.

5.      Now  line a salad dish with the scrapes of tomato, capsicum and cucumber. You can also add shredded lettuce leaves.

6.      Sprinkle some rock salt and lemon juice.  

A Add chopped fruits.

7.      Now pour the sprouts mixture on the bed prepared. Garnish with some chaat masala, coriander leaves and serve.

It’s yummy. The rock salt and lemon juice soak into the scrapes, and make such a heavenly combination. Its better had 10 mins after preparation, to allow the juices of all the ingredients flow into each other.

Amazing Grated Papaya Salad

Good friend M recently told me that she was leaving early that day as she wanted to accompany her younger sis to meet a guy whom her parents wanted her to meet (for marriage prospects). She told me that this was the 11th guy she was meeting and she has already rejected ten (!) guys before this. Thanks to the skewed sex ration in our country !! That set me thinking...what is it that these young girls are looking for, that they are not finding ?  What is it exactly, that girls are seeking while sizing up a guy for marriage prospects…what is it ?   I was too interested n finding out ...so I decided to speak to all the PYT's I could get in touch with and asked them the most important question...what do you look for in a guy. Here is what I found:

1. Dependability…it means literally in all senses. The guy has to be able to manage expenses in a situation where the girl decides to stay at home to look after kids, or whatever reasons. It also means he should be there for her whenever she is in distress, both emotional and physical…of course this will not include the distress when she cannot choose which shade of blue skirt  will go best  with her new green halter neck.
2. Emotionally expressive…A woman hates it when the only emotions her guy displays are hunger, anger and frustration. Joy comes only in the event of Brazil winning a football match. There is another emotion very important to women, called love, and every girl wants to see her guy expressing love once in a while with a simple gesture like a kind word, a public praise, or an sms. Expressing love is not only PDA.
3. Caring…small helps around the house, understanding when the stress levels are high and acting accordingly, are small manifestations of caring. You cannot show care, unless you really do…if you fake it, you’ll be caught.
4. Presentability: Yes, the guy has to be someone she is not ashamed to introduce to her friends and colleagues. Which means you need to be polite, courteous, and if you have a sense of humor-nothing like it ! It also  means that if your weighing scale tips more towards the right, do something NOW !

Today’s dish is healthy, tasty, and can be readied in a jiffy.  AND  if the way to your girl’s heart is through her stomach, it might be of help. Girls, this may work other way round too…if the guy has really impressed you, now it might as well be your turnJ

Grated papaya salad:

Ingredients:

Green papaya: 1 small

Tomato: 1

Green chilly: 1

Rock salt: pinch

Tamarind chutney: 1 tsp (optional)

Pomegranate: 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds: ½ tsp, roasted, ground

Garlic: 1 pod, chopped

Herbs: basil, coriander leaves, or acc to choice

Peanuts: 6-8, roasted

 

How to:

1. Grate raw papaya.
2. Mix with rock salt, imli chutney, chopped green chillies, pomegranates, chopped tomatoes, roasted cumin seeds, chopped garlic and dried basil leaves.
3. Garnish with coriander leaves and roasted peanuts.

There you are! Guilt free indulgence is readyJ