This Vegan Curry Sprouts Bowl with Easy Pickled Beets and Minty Brown Rice has all the deliciousness of an Indian summer, and it will make you feel amazing inside out. All this goodness is gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free too!
Do you ever have those days when nothing seems to go right? I was having one of those this week when I decided to make myself this bowl, hoping that all that healthfulness and deliciousness would provide a great pick-me-up. It did.
I find that I am happiest with myself when I am eating right, and summer, with its bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, is such a great time to do just that. Another reason I love the warmer weather is the ability to sprout beans more easily and fairly quickly than you can in winter. Sprouts, as you no doubt know, are amazing. As healthy as beans are, they become even healthier when you sprout them. For one, the nutrients in the beans are more easily absorbed by your body, the bean becomes more digestible, the protein in the beans is more readily available to your body, and the already high fiber content of the bean shoots up, along with the enzymes and antioxidants in it. If you already aren't sprouting, what are you waiting for?
I won't go into how to sprout beans, because I've covered that in many previous blogs, and you will find a full tutorial on sprouting beans in this sprouted moong salad recipe here. But I will say that if you are new to sprouting, it's way easier than you think: you can sprout practically any bean, and all you need is a colander or a cheesecloth, and a bowl or tupperware to soak the beans in. Oh, and a kitchen towel, and I bet you have one somewhere. 🙂
You don't need any special skills to sprout either but you do need one thing -- patience. While summer is a great time to sprout beans quickly, nature does take its time to do its thing, so you can't soak your beans this morning and expect your sprouts to be ready by dinnertime. Some beans, like mung, can go from dry bean to sprout within 36 hours. Others might take a day or two more.
These Curry Sprouts are one of the easiest and most delicious sprouted bean recipes I've shared with you. Along with the nutty, minty brown rice, made even more beautiful and healthy with the addition of turmeric, and the easy pickled beets which are really not pickled at all but made with Indian pickling spices, this is one delicious meal.
It goes without saying that these are three recipes that would work very well if made individually and served with other complimentary dishes. I love the pickled beets with a veggie burger, or with some homemade dal and basmati rice. And the Minty Brown Rice would go perfectly with a spicy mushroom curry, like My Dad's Not-Mutton Mushroom Curry.
I have a long recipe to write for my Vegan Curry Sprouts Bowl with Easy Pickled Beets and Minty Brown Rice. Whew, that's a mouthful! So off I go. Happy eating, all!
More vegan bowls
- Mixed Beans Masala Bowl with Turmeric Rice and Sweet Potatoes
- Curried Chickpeas Bowl with Garlicky Chard
- Sesame Soba Noodle Bowl with Spinach and Tofu
- Creamy Grits Bowl
- Vegan Caribbean Bowl
Vegan Curry Sprouts Bowl
Ingredients
For the Sprouts Curry
- 1 cup dry beans of any kind, soaked the sprouted (Tutorial link in recipe notes. I used white peas, available in Indian stores, but mung bean sprouts or chickpea sprouts are fine)
- 1 teaspoon coconut or peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 12 curry leaves (optional, but nice)
- ¼ cup coriander leaves/cilantro leaves
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon cayenne or any red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional, adds a nice color)
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 tomatoes, cut in a fine dice
- Salt to taste
For the Minty Brown Rice:
- 1 ½ cups long-grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon coconut or peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or 1 dry red chili, broken into two pieces
- 2 teaspoon dry mint leaves, or 4 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Salt to taste
For Easy Pickled Beets:
- 4 beets, any color
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon onion seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon coconut or peanut oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the sprouted beans curry:
- Heat the oil and add mustard seeds. When they crackle and sputter, add the curry leaves, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic and turmeric. Stir to mix and saute for a minute over a low flame.
- Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent and just start to brown.
- Add the sprouted beans. Stir well, then add enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, cover, and let the beans cook until they are done. Check water level occasionally and add more if the curry starts to get too dry. If you are using smaller beans like mung, your cook time will be shorter, around 20 minutes, than if you're using chickpeas or another larger bean which could take around 45 minutes to an hour to become tender.
- Once the beans are tender, add the tomatoes. Stir well to mix, then bring back to a boil, cover, and simmer for five minutes. Add salt, mix, and turn off heat.
Make the Minty Brown Rice:
- Soak the brown rice in water for 30 minutes.
- In a wide saucepan or skillet, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and when they start to darken, add the turmeric, red pepper flakes or red chili and stir quickly. Add the rice and stir until it starts to turn opaque, about a minute.
- Add 4 ½ cups water and salt, stir to mix, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to the lowest setting, and set your timer to 45 minutes. At the end of 45 minutes turn off the heat, but don't open yet. Let the rice stand undisturbed for 10 more minutes. Then remove, fluff with a fork, and serve.
Make the Easy Pickled Beets:
- Roast the beets in a 400-degree preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. They are cooked when a fork inserted into the center goes in without much resistance. Smaller beets will take less time.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and slice into halves, then slice vertically to make wedges.
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Add all the seeds and when they start to darken and smell fragrant, no more than 2-3 minutes, add the beets. Stir well and let the beets warm through. Add the lemon juice and salt.
Nutrition
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Shreyas Pandit
When do you add the mint
Shay
Hi Vaishali, I had some mung bean sprouts soaking and I rightaway cooked up this curry. It was delicious. I brought it with me to lunch today. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Lita Waston
Can i replace the heat by instant pot or rice cooker to make the Minty Brown Rice? I think by that way we have not to set our timer to 45 minutes then turn the heat off.
Vaishali
Hi Lita, you can definitely make the rice in an instant pot or rice cooker. Be sure to follow manufacturer timings for cooking brown rice-- it could be different from the time taken on the stovetop. My pressure cooker, for instance, needs just about 10 minutes to cook brown rice.
Jessi
Wow, that dish looks amazing and super delicious!!! Love curry recipes. Definitely going to be my next lunch!
Vaishali
Thanks, Jessi. Hope you try.