Sprouted mung beans are really easy to make in less than two days, and it requires no special equipment.
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Mung beans are the easiest sprouts you can make because of their larger size, but you can turn almost any seed into sprouts, such as alfalfa, mustard, sunflower, wheat berry, broccoli, and more.
You can buy many types of sprouting seeds online.
There is no need for special jars, special lids, special bags, or strainers. (Unless you want to.) All you really need is a bowl!
Health benefits
Sprouting increases the vitamin and enzyme content of seeds. It also predigests nutrients, making them easier for the body to assimilate.
According to “Healing With Whole Foods,” written by one of my mentors, Paul Pitchford, sprouts represent the point of greatest vitality in the life cycle of plants.
Sprouts also happen to be one of the best foods you can eat in the spring season to support your body's energy needs. Just look around. Eating sprouts mirrors nature. They are everywhere.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, mung bean sprouts are dry and light, which helps to counteract the wet and damp qualities of a winter diet.
Just remember that spring is for sprouts, and summer too, but once we enter into fall and winter, you'll want to cook your sprouts with healthy fats to balance out those dry qualities.
Mung sprouts in 6 steps
- Soak mung beans in a bowl of cold water for 12 hours or more.
- Drain off all the water. Rinse 2-3 times. Leave the beans in the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for 8 hours.
- Rinse sprouts in water and drain off water carefully. Give the sprouts a shake, so that the same sprouts are not stuck on the bottom of the bowl.
- Cover again for 8 hours, then rinse and shake.
- Repeat step 5 until the tails are about ½-inch long. (If you continue sprouting longer than 2-3 days, you risk mold.)
It is up to you how long you want the tails of new growth to be. The tails will mainly be a textural element for you, since the nutritional quality is the same regardless.
The longer you continue rinsing and sprouting, the more you risk mold. I find 2-3 days is the maximum time I feel comfortable with sprouting before eating them, or moving the sprouts to the fridge.
Storage
Once the sprouted mung beans are ready, they’ll keep in the fridge for up to five days, or even longer, until you are ready to eat them raw, or cook them.
They will last up to 2 weeks if you take care to dry them very well first. To dry the sprouts, spread them on a tea towel and air dry before storage, or use paper towels to pat them dry.
Cooking
Cook mung sprouts just like you would dry mung beans. The only difference is that they won’t take as long to soften, so they will cook faster.
Another advantage is that you can cook the sprouted mung beans in stir-fries or add them to braised vegetables for additional protein.
Be aware that sprouts are very astringent, which means they are drying. This can easily be destabilizing to the nervous system.
To counter this drying quality, eat the sprouts along with healthy fats to balance them out.
How to Sprout Mung Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung beans
Instructions
- Soak mung beans in a bowl of cold water for 12 hours or more.
- Drain off all the water. Rinse 2-3 times. Leave the beans in the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for 8 hours.
- Rinse sprouts in water and drain off water carefully. Give the sprouts a shake, so that the same sprouts are not stuck on the bottom of the bowl.
- Cover again for 8 hours, then rinse and shake.
- Repeat step 5 until the tails are about ½-inch long. (If you continue sprouting longer than 2-3 days, you risk mold.)
Nutrition
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