I have been seeing my Amma do this all the time, whenever she wanted to sprout green gram (cheru payar) she will wash and soak in water for a couple of days changing water many a times, making sure It doesn’t smell. And by the end of 3 or 4 days, I have seen the green gram swell a bit and sprout quite reluctantly.
However the minute she sees the little white thread like thing come out of the bosom of the green gram, like an umbilical cord, water is boiling to give the green gram a thorough boiling and cooking. Then it’s all history, either thoran or simple ularthiyathu…
Or she eats it, as it is, as part of the naturopathy treatment instructions from Bethany Asramam.
Ever since I came to this part of the world, I have been using a wet tea towel to cover the soaked green gram, making sure the water doesn’t evaporate and disappear, with the controlled temperature inside the house.
Day before I happened to soak the green gram in one of my steel paathram’s, (vessel) and by sheer error and in the haste to cook and clean, I happened to turn the whole thing upside down to another vessel, as I wanted the steel vessel for a particular use. The whole thing stayed in the vessel, as a pouch with the green gram inside the wet towel, in the course of my marathon cleaning I left the whole thing outside.
The humidity was nearly 90% and today just an hour ago that’s nearly after 48 hours, when I was watering my glorious Chembarathy in a pot, I noticed the green gram still sitting out, it was totally forgotten. I tried to open the tea towel and I was shocked to notice, I couldn’t release the towel, the umbilical cord of the sprouts, was all over the towel. It was coming out through the pores in the towel and was so fully grown, I have never ever seen sprouts like this…it was pretty strong the tip and pointed finding its way through the towel. AMAZING !!!! feat for survival!!! Reminded me of my Son’s story in Africa Jack and the beanstalk may be I should name this Beena and the beansprout..I will say Beens like Anita calls me out of Love!!
I am sure many of you know this, but for me this was first time and hereafter I will sprout green gram in a wet cloth covered like a pouch. Lessons learnt out of an accident – Is this how Malayalee’s one and only dish Aviyal was born – an accident ???
Three colours in one Chembarathy!!!
Beens and the Beansprout!!!
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