Mung Bean Sprouts Salad With Green Mango

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this mung bean sprouts salad is spectacular.

It’s nourishing, light, bright, exciting—kind of like salsa—and perfect as a snack or side dish in spring and summer.

I’ve been on a personal mission to increase the nutritional quality of my diet by eating homemade seasonal foods, and this recipe is a rock star addition to the repertoire.

Considering how easy it is to make, and how well it keeps fresh in the refrigerator (unlike salad greens), I think you’ll find this mung bean sprouts salad is your new best friend.

If you enjoy eating fresh and light plant-based foods, this salad can add pizzaz to any plate, or even satisfy as a snack or light meal on its own.

A Hearty, Versatile Salad From India

In India, salads aren’t really a thing. Green salads are practically non-existent because it is too troublesome to refrigerate and keep greens fresh in the intense heat of the climate.

So imagine how hearty this salad is. It’s got both fresh lemon and hot tempered oil that act as preservatives to keep it fresh.

So I like that you can take this salad to work for lunch and not worry about refrigeration for a few hours. You can also store it for a few days and it won’t go bad.

After 1 or 2, or even 3 days, you can freshen it up before serving by adding an extra squeeze of lemon and a pinch of finishing salt.

How To Make Mung Bean Sprouts Salad

The star ingredients in this recipe are the sprouted mung beans and green mango.

Sprouted mung beans can be purchased at Asian grocery stores, but they are also really easy to make in less than two days.

All you need is the dried mung beans, which can be purchased at most grocery stores, and a bowl.

The process involves soaking the beans for 12 hours, and then rinsing 2-3 times a day until you get sprouts. The details are below in the recipe instructions.

Raw mango is another great ingredient. It is slightly sour, rather than sweet, and since it is firm, it stands up well in the salad.

You can purchase raw mango in any Asian grocery store. You may be able to find an unripe one in the regular mango section too, and you can use it, but it won’t be the same.

Carrots, cucumbers, tomato, and cilantro should all be familiar to you. For the coconut flakes, I just use a store-bought brand and make sure it tastes fresh.

In India they would grate up fresh coconut. If this is a process that’s familiar to you, then go for it!

The fresh lemon in this recipe is wonderful for bringing everything together. Its presence boosts digestion, as it enlivens the digestive juices.

The hot oil garnish, with black mustard seeds and asafetida sizzled into it, adds subtle, yet exciting flavors.

South Indian Spices

The black mustard seeds and asafetida in this mung bean sprouts salad recipe may be new to you, but they are worth getting to know. The two are basics in South Indian cooking.

Black mustard seeds add a complex nutty, slightly pungent and bitter flavor, to the salad. While asafetida, the resin of a root from a plant that’s a relative of fennel, adds a sophisticated onion-garlic flavor.

If you don’t have these spices, you can leave them out and the salad will still be tasty. You could try adding in a bit of minced shallots or red onion to compensate.

If you want to buy black mustard seeds and asafetida, see my recommendations below.

For more information about Indian spices, see my post on Indian Ingredients and Indian Ingredient Substitutions.

South Indian cuisine is very different from the Indian food most Americans are familiar with. I personally love its focus on aromatics and healthy spices, rather than heavy spices.

See the link for more South Indian recipes.

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