Do You Feel Like Adding More Fresh Vegetables to Your Desi Food(2021)? Here Is How You Can Add Microgreens to Make Your Food Healthier!

Do You Feel Like Adding More Fresh Vegetables to Your Desi Food(2021)? Here Is How You Can Add Microgreens to Make Your Food Healthier!

You might be wondering what microgreens are and why they are considered healthier than regular vegetables? Microgreens are young plants of green vegetables, somewhere between a sprout and a full plant, usually used for cooking. If you think the only way of adding these greens to your diet is in a salad, then you might need to go through the following recipes to enjoy more health the tastier way!

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Microgreens are Good for Your Health

Remaining healthy is a combination of having a regular workout regimen and eating healthy. We have to take care of our daily intake and microgreens are a new superfood that you can include in your diet.

Scientists have highlighted microgreens as a way of having the essential nutrients to keep us fit and healthy. All microgreens are rich in nutrients and can add a dash of colour to your recipes. It can also add flavour to your recipes and can also be an ingredient in your salads.

Why Microgreens are Considered as a Superfood?

Reduces Risk of Heart Ailments

Most of us have a fast life with barely any time for exercises. How we lead our lives affect our health too. The lack of exercising and having loads of junk food affects the health of our heart. Plant-based foods and microgreens can help us take care of our heart. The plant-based fibres, along with vitamins, is ideal for keeping your heart healthier. It can help in keeping your blood pressure under control, as well.

Full of Nutrients

The microgreens are rich in several nutrients, including minerals, vitamins and fibre. This can help to prevent several harmful diseases. Your mental health can be boosted too. Some microgreens can provide a mix of necessary minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc, etc.

Contains Antioxidants

Microgreens are also rich in antioxidants, that can work against the free radicals in your body. The free radicals can be generated in our body due to environmental factors. They can also be produced due to metabolic processes. Some of them contain high amounts of vitamin E, while some others are known to have vitamin A.

Boosts Immunity

Vegetables, in general, are known to have a positive effect on your health. They have anti-inflammatory properties and can boost your immunity to a great extent. Microgreens are packed with all the necessary ingredients to keep you healthy. It can boost your immunity and keep you free from harmful diseases.

Improves Eyesight

Studies show that green vegetables help to improve your eyesight. And there is never any age when your vision can get lowered. You must always be on your guard. The lutein content in vegetables is ideal for improving eyesight. This phytochemical is present in microgreens too. It can help absorb the excess light intensity.

Few Microgreens Recipes Indian Style You Can Try at Home

Microgreen Methi Dal

Fenugreek can be consumed as a microgreen – fresh or even dried. The plant has unique health properties, and a few seeds with water are effective for any stomach trouble. You can cut off the leaves two to three inches above the soil. This dal is created with the fenugreek microgreens and can be consumed with rice.

Ingredients:
  • ½ cup toor dal, soaked for around 15 minutes
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup freshly harvested Fenugreek microgreens
  • ¼ spoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 2 -3 green chillies
  • ½ spoon cumin seeds

For seasoning:
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 spoon mustard seeds
  • 2 spoons freshly grated garlic
  • ½ spoon cumin seeds
  • ½ spoon red chilli powder
  • ½ cup tamarind juice
  • 2 spoons oil
  • ½ cup of water
  • Salt to taste

How to make:
  • Take a pressure cooker to cook the dal along with the tomato, fenugreek microgreens and the green chillies, turmeric powder and the cumin seeds.
  • Cook for five whistles. Once done, ensure the dal is smooth, and there are no lumps. Set it aside.
  • Take a pan and heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, lower the heat slightly and add the mustard seeds.
  • When the crackling stops, add garlic, cumin and onion into the oil. Also, add some salt to cook the onions.
  • Once the onion has turned soft, add red chilli powder along with tamarind juice.
  • Stir the ingredients, dilute with water and season with salt as needed.
  • Let it boil and then remove from heat.

Microgreens Methi Thepla

The thepla is a nutritious delicacy and a flatbread made from fenugreek and chickpea flour, wheat flour and spices. As they are tasty, you can also prepare it when guests come to your house. You can have them at any time during the day. The fenugreek microgreens can also be grown at home.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup Fenugreek microgreens
  • ¼ cup besan
  • 1 ¾ cup atta
  • 1– 2 green chilli, adjust to taste
  • 2 spoons coriander powder
  • 1 spoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ spoon ajwain
  • ½ spoon red chilli powder, adjust to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 spoons oil
  • Water, to knead the dough

How to make:
  • Take a large bowl and add the ingredients. Mix well while adding water slowly to make a soft dough.
  • You must knead the dough again for around a minute. Now, divide it into equal portions and roll them into the size of balls.
  • Take one ball and dust it with flour. Put it on a rolling surface. Use a rolling pin and roll it into a circle.
  • Heat a tawa and put the rolled thepla. Cook it over medium heat till it turns light brown.
  • Drizzle some oil or ghee and cook both the sides. While cooking, gently press the thepla with a spatula to cook evenly.
  • You may drain the excess oil by putting the thepla in a food warmer lined with a paper towel.

Samudri Methi Chi Bhaji

Microgreens are nutritious and find its way as a garnish in most dishes. But we can also use it many other recipes. You can also cook it with vegetables, coconut, some masalas in a Maharashtrian style. It does not take too long to cook.

Ingredients:
  • 20 bunches of Fenugreek microgreens
  • 2 pods of garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 onions, medium sliced
  • ½ spoon mustard seeds
  • 5 spoons of freshly grated coconut
  • ½ spoon cumin seeds
  • 1 spoon oil
  • Salt as per taste

How to make:
  • Wash the microgreens with water to clean the mud and other particles. You only need the top two or three inches.
  • Boil them for around five minutes and keep aside.
  • Take a kadhai and heat some oil. Then add the mustard seeds. When it crackles, add the cumin seeds.
  • Next, you have to add the garlic and onions. Sauté them so that the onions are softer.
  • Also, add the steamed methi microgreens along with salt for taste.
  • Mix the ingredients well. Also, keep the lid open when cooking.
  • Let the onion to caramelize and when the vegetable is cooked, add the grated coconut.
  • Stir the vegetables and turn off the gas when done.

Microgreens Salad

Having healthy salads are an essential addition to your diet. The ingredients are nutritious, and having them raw add various benefits to your health. Having microgreens as part of your salad can also be very enriching and keep you healthy.

Ingredients:
  • 6 radishes, sliced
  • Microgreens, as per your choice and requirement
  • 4 spoons olive oil
  • 1/8 spoon dry mustard powder
  • 2 spoons lime juice
  • Ground pepper, for taste
  • ¼ spoon salt
  • Sea salt, for taste

How to make:
  • Take a big bowl and put the sliced radishes and microgreens and radishes. Put it in the refrigerator till you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Take another bowl and whisk the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate it as well.
  • Before serving, dress the salad lightly with a few toppings of your choice.
  • Sprinkle some sea salt and fresh ground pepper before serving.

Microgreens Paratha

Parathas are loved, and we can have a twist with this microgreens paratha. The microgreens can be chopped finely and stuffed into this unique delicacy.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup atta
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1 cup microgreens, finely chopped
  • 5 spoons oil or ghee, for roasting
  • Water, to knead the dough
  • ¼ spoon salt
  • 2 spoons oil

How to make:
  • Take a large bowl and add atta along with the microgreens and chopped chillies. Also, add some salt and oil and combine well. Next, add water as needed to knead the dough.
  • Once done, cover with a wet cloth and keep it aside for 30 minutes.
  • Now, make a medium-sized ball from the dough and roll and flatten it. Take some atta to dust it and roll to 5 inches using the rolling pin.
  • You may grease it with some ghee or oil. Roll it to a thick circle like a paratha.
  • Place it on a hot tawa and cook for a minute. Flip it to cook both the sides.

Fenugreek Microgreens and Potato Curry

Potato curry is a simple Indian recipe. You may add more taste to it and make it nutritious by adding some microgreens. It is a simple recipe that will not take more than 20 minutes to complete. It can be easily had with rice, parathas or roti.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup Fenugreek microgreens
  • 1 big potato, cut into small pieces
  • ¼ spoon turmeric paste
  • ½ spoon garlic and ginger paste
  • 1 onion, medium diced
  • ½ spoon chilli powder
  • 2 spoons oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 cup of water

How to make:
  • Heat the oil in a cooking pan and add the onions and sauté till it softens.
  • Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté to remove the raw smell.
  • Next, add the chilli powder and turmeric paste. Sauté again to mix the spices.
  • Now add the pieces of potatoes and saute for some time.
  • Add the microgreens and mix all the ingredients well.
  • Add some water and salt for taste. Mix everything well and cook till the potatoes are softened.

Microgreens Egg Burji

Most of us like to have eggs during breakfast, and burji is one of our favourite in the morning. You can add some microgreens to the burji to make it crunchier and nutritious. If you add some garlic, it will make it tastier. A healthy idea to start your day.

Ingredients:
  • Eggs, as needed
  • Microgreens snipped from mid-stem
  • Garlic, chopped
  • Butter to cook
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How to make:
  • Fry the chopped garlic till golden brown.
  • Take a pan to heat the butter on a low flame.
  • Beat the eggs and keep stirring so that they begin to clump together.
  • Add some salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring.
  • You must take them off the heat when it is a little moist.
  • Take off the heat. Take the washed and dried microgreens and mix in or top it along with the toasted garlic.

Mushroom Mayo Salad with Methi Microgreens

Having salads is right for your health. This salad recipe is a nutritious combination of mushrooms and the goodness of microgreens. It gets ready within a short time and is ideal to be had during lunch.

Ingredients:
  • ½ cup methi microgreens
  • ½ cup sweetcorn, cooked with salt
  • 1 cup mushroom, sliced
  • 1 spoon peppercorns, crushed
  • 2 spoons mayonnaise
  • ½ lemon
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 spoon coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

How to make:
  • Take a pan to heat the coconut oil. Fry the mushrooms, onions along with some salt till they turn brown.
  • Switch off the heat and add the microgreens along with lemon juice and peppercorns.
  • Mix them well so that the methi leaves shrinks.
  • Transfer them to a bowl and add the cooked sweetcorn along with the mayonnaise.
  • Mix them well and serve chilled.

Noodles with Microgreens

-We love to have noodles at any time of the day. If you have stayed in hostels, you would know that noodles were the staple food and helped you stay awake for long hours. This nutritious noodles recipe, together with microgreens, will provide you with a healthy choice and allow you to remember those days.

Ingredients:
  • ½ packet noodles
  • ¼ cup micro amaranth leaves
  • ¼ cup micro mustard leaves
  • 250 mg sliced tofu
  • 1 sliced carrot
  • 2 sliced onions
  • 1/2 sliced red pepper
  • 1/2 bunch baby lettuce
  • 2 chopped garlic
  • 2 chopped green chilli
  • 3-4 baby potatoes, boiled
  • 2-3 spoons of tomato ketchup
  • 2-3 spoons of soya sauce
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • ¼ cup coriander leaves
  • 1 spoon oil
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste

How to make:
  • Take a pan, sauté the red peppers, onions, carrots, chillies, baby lettuce and garlic.
  • In a separate pan, sauté the tofu and keep it aside.
  • In this pan, take the baby potatoes along with some peanuts and cook for some time.
  • Add the noodles and stir fry all the vegetables.
  • Now add the ketchup and soya sauce. Mix well.
  • Garnish with fresh microgreens.
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Grow Your Own Microgreens in Your Own Micro-gardens!

Kitchen gardens are gaining much popularity all over. This is because it ensures continuous supply of unlimited and fresh herbs and vegetables to add to your food. This is extremely easy and beneficial in the long run, and you do not even need a lot of space for it! Just attach a few small containers to your windowsill or a balcony wall and you can grow almost any small vegetables you might need in your food!