Microgreens is a word that we may have learnt of only recently. The amateur chefs from Masterchef series and even other world class chefs like Heston Blumenthal or Gordon Ramsay particularly use it in the garnish of the dish. As they say - "And top it off with a little Microgreens"
So what are these Microgreens ? These are a specialized bred greens which are harvested as soon as they reach a length of a inch or inch and a half. We already know about baby vegetables, similarly MIcrogreens are micro baby forms of some of the well known greens, like - Sunflower Microgreens, Raddish Microgreens, Broccoli Microgreens, Arugula and many more. These are cultivated in small batches in specialized farms or possibly even at your home. Many a people have taken up microgreen farming as a serious profession as the demand for this rises around the world. Supermarkets are now stocking them in small fresh batches. These baby greens are valued and popular due to 2 reasons - One : they are full organic produce and Two : they are nutritional, crunchy and look great on a dish.
I've been consuming some of them since the past 2 weeks and more. Sunflower is my favourite of the lot. Since we at home do not plate and serve the dish like a restaurant, the idea of topping them on a indian cuisine does not make sense. They go well with any of the continental dish you may whip up at home. But for me, i now always keep a handful of them on the side of my plate and eat them as any other salad component. Don't hesitate to add them to your finger sandwiches as they work quite well with any meat component cutting through the dense meaty flavour and give you a different airy, crunchy feel. Taste wise they are almost like sprouts and leave a mild nutty aftertaste in your palate. Nutrition wise they are have been researched and evaluated to have found 40 times more nutrition than their mature counterparts. Researchers have evaluated high levels of four groups of vital nutrients, including vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and beta-carotene, in 25 different commercially grown microgreens.
I usually pick them from Nature's Basket. Fresh stock arrives daily and is sold out by the evening. Priced anything between 25 to 60 bucks for 60-70gms, these are a great addition to your meal and don't do much damage to your pocket.
So go the Microgreens way ! You'll love it.
