How to Sprout Beans
In Oriental cooking and vegetarian meals, bean sprouts are among the top ingredients. Bean sprouts are full of vitamins and minerals, and have a very unique flavor and texture that goes well with soups and stir-fried dishes. Instead of buying sprouts from the produce section, you can sprout your own beans for fresh ingredients you can use at any time and any meal of the day. Here’s how you can make your own bean sprouts.
Choosing Beans
All seeds grow sprouts, but there are some seeds - especially beans - that can produce delicious sprouts. The two most common kinds of sprouted beans are:
Mung beans. When most people think of bean sprouts, they think of the white threads most often used in many Oriental dishes. Mung bean sprouts have an excellent flavor and texture, and can withstand high-temperature cooking. Mung bean sprouts are a very common ingredient in Chinese stir-fry.
Soybeans. Soybean sprouts, also known as kongnamul in Korean cooking, is a staple in bibimbap. Soybean sprouts are thicker and have a softer texture than mung beans. (Learn how to cook korean bibimbap)
Sprouting Beans
To sprout beans, follow these steps:
Use only fresh beans. Dried or dehydrated, processed beans will not sprout at all.
Moisten the beans, and place them in a sprouting jar. Sprouting jars can be bought from specialty shops or from the local orchidarium, or you can use an ordinary glass or plastic jar with the lid covered with a thin piece of cheesecloth.
Allow the beans to sprout in room temperature. While you should keep the beans moist, do not introduce any extra water into the bean sprouter. If you allow the beans to soak in water while you sprout them, you’ll end up with inedible sprouts, or the beans will not sprout at all.
Rinse the beans two to three times a day to re-introduce moisture to the sprouts, and put them back into the sprouting jar.
When the beans reach their desired length, take them out of the jar and pat them dry.
Making your own fresh bean sprouts is much cheaper than buying them from the supermarket. With these steps, you can have a virtually unlimited supply of fresh bean sprouts to satisfy your own healthful cravings. For more information regarding this article, read how to grow your own sprouts.