Sprouted Lentils and Plantain Cutlet by Sriharsha Mupparaju

Sprouted Lentils and Plantain Cutlet by Sriharsha Mupparaju
INGREDIENTS:

1. Sprouted lentils – 1 cup
2. Raw banana (boiled and mashed) – 1.5 cups
3. Onion – 1 small (minced)
4. Ginger (grated) – 1 tsp
5. Chickpeas flour (besan) – ¼ cup
6. Salt to taste
7. Green chillies - 4
8. Parsley (chopped) a handful
9. Garam masala powder – 1 tsp (optional)
10. Amchur (dried mango) powder – ½ tsp
11. Bread crumbs – ½ cup
12. Oil – 4 tbsps

PREPARATION:

1. Soak lentils in water for 3-4 hours, drain and leave them to sprout. It takes 12-24 hours for the sprouts to appear depending on the temperature.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry onions until transparent.
3. Add grated ginger, besan and fry until it leaves the raw smell. Add this to sprouts.
4. Boil and mash raw banana and add this to the mixture (use very little water).
5. Add salt, chopped green chillies, parsley, amchur and masala powders to that and mix well (it should be like a hard dough).
6. Divide the mixture into balls (about the size of an Indian lemon), press into desired shape and roll them in breadcrumbs (skip the bread crumbs if the mixture is dry enough)
7. Shallow fry the cutlets on a non-stick pan (preferred) using the remaining oil.
8. Serve with tomato ketchup or meeti (date) chutney.

Serving size: 6 (3 pieces per serving)
Calories per serving: 120 (approximate)
Storage: 2 days in fridge (it is better eaten as soon as it is prepared)

SOME TIPS:
Tie the drained lentils in a cloth and keep it in a warm place to sprout.
If the mixture becomes watery, add some bread crumbs and mix.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Lentil sprouts contain 26% protein. It is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Iron (14% of Daily Value), Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Vitamin C (21% of DV), Folate and Manganese. The glycemic load estimated is 8 (where typical target is 100 or less per day). Calories are just 82 per cup.

Cooked plantain (banana) is rich in Vitamin A (36% of DV), Vitamin B6 (24%), Vitamin C (36% of DV) and dietary fiber (18% of DV). It is also a good source of Magnesium and Potassium and Folate.