| When you buy bean sprouts at the supermarket, they | | | | your soaked beans to find those hard ones and throw |
| are probably sprouted from mung beans. Oriental | | | | them out. They are smaller and darker, so you |
| cooking has used these sprouts for centuries as a | | | | shouldn't have any trouble seeing them. The will "clink" |
| fresh vegetable. In most Asian countries, you can find | | | | when they hit the pan whereas those that have |
| them in market stalls. The same is true in Central | | | | soaked up a lot of water will not make a noise. |
| America and East Africa. It's only in recent years that | | | | It's wise to soak mung beans for twelve hours. Be |
| they've become popular in other countries. Nowadays, | | | | sure that your water is at about 70c ½F. You |
| you can find them in the produce sections of many | | | | can decide whether you want to grow small, sweet |
| grocery stores and supermarkets. | | | | mung sprouts or big mungs. The small ones will be |
| These are small beans shaped like cylinders and they | | | | ready when the roots have grown to ¼ to |
| have a bright green skin. The beans themselves are | | | | ½ inches. The big mungs will have 1 to 3-inch |
| used whole for cooking although they are sometimes | | | | roots. In either case, remember to rinse and drain |
| split and hulled. The split and hulled ones are small and | | | | every 8 ½ hours. |
| yellow. They don't need to be soaked, and they cook | | | | Supermarket & Chinese Restaurant Mung Bean |
| easily to a soft consistency. | | | | Sprouts |
| One of Many | | | | The mung bean sprouts you see in a supermarket or |
| While the mung bean is the one most likely to be | | | | a Chinese restaurant will most likely have big stems |
| sprouted, seeds of other legumes are becoming | | | | and thick roots. These are grown with chemicals and |
| popular in some areas. For example, in Japan, | | | | gasses in 500-gallon machines. Your home-grown |
| blackgram is preferred because its sprouts are whiter | | | | sprouts are not going to look like that. However, you |
| and stay fresh longer than mung bean sprouts. In | | | | can get some thick roots by using a sprouter that |
| mainland China, small-seeded soybean sprouts are | | | | drains from the bottom. Also, you'll need to be careful |
| popular. In the United States, alfalfa has become | | | | about disturbing the seeds and sprouts when you rinse. |
| available in many supermarkets and specialty stores. | | | | The beans need to remain stationary. You want them |
| Mung bean sprouts are often eaten fresh in salads | | | | to form a mass that can't be moved. Also, you will |
| although some people cook, boil, and stir fry them. | | | | want to rinse longer and with lower water pressure. If |
| They can be canned or frozen successfully. When 100 | | | | you're rinsing in the sink, you might try the sprayer |
| g of mature, raw mung beans are sprouted, they go | | | | during the first two to three days until the roots have |
| from 384 calories to 313; the carbohydrates are | | | | formed a firm mass. |
| reduced from 67.5 to 58.8; Protein goes from 27.1 to | | | | Your sprouts will be ready for harvesting from 8 to 24 |
| 33.8; lipids go from 1.46 to 1.77; and minerals increase | | | | hours after the final rinse. Drain them thoroughly. Put |
| dramatically. | | | | your sprouts in a plastic bag and put them in the |
| Chinese Farmers Grow Mung Beans Mostly by Hand | | | | refrigerator. You can expect a 2 to 1 yield for short |
| They dry them on gravel roads, and they are pretty | | | | and sweet mungs; however, the yield for big and thick |
| dusty when they come to us. It's wise to rinse them | | | | mungs may be as high as 3.5 to 1. |
| thoroughly and cull through them before moving on to | | | | Mungs are the most consumed sprout in the world. As |
| the soaking phase. Be on the lookout for small | | | | we noted above, Asian cuisine uses them extensively. |
| bean-look-alike pebbles. Even on high-quality seeds, it's | | | | Also, they're the best sprout for cooking. There are |
| wise to go through these steps before soaking them. | | | | many great recipes using mung bean sprouts. You can |
| Once in a while, you may get some mung beans that | | | | find them on the Internet or in cookbooks that focus on |
| will remain hard after soaking. Be sure to look through | | | | Chinese food or on preparing sprouts for eating. |