Sprouted Mung Beans
Happy New Year! I am hoping this year brings all my readers and friends a very healthy and prosperous new year. Even though 2020 was not as expected. I have to say it taught us so many things.
Everyone I am talking to told me they loved to slow down a bit in life and I must agree. That getting up early morning and rushing out of the door, and always on the go, that we must be productive all the time was so difficult. I also feel sympathy for the all the people who died due to COVID. It has been really tough to see all the suffering. But I am hopeful and love to stay positive and keep doing what needs to be done by wearing masks and staying away from people.
I have been wanting to share this easy and healthy recipe for quite some time. As much as I want to share known dishes, I feel like these home-made dishes that never make it in a restaurant are the ones that need some sharing. Sprouted mung beans are a staple in a thali meal in Gujarati Indian households.
Our lunch back in India would always consist of a subji (vegetable), dal, rice and roti. Instead of dal sometimes my mom would make regular mung beans or Kadhi another staple dish in Gujarati families.
Often, a proper elaborate thali meal should include a vegetable subji, some kind of pulses or beans, dal or kadhi, rice and rotis with a number of accompaniments like salad, pickle or papad. Those condiments are always there on the table.
I miss those elaborate meals sometimes. I often love to eat mung beans as it is, no roti or rice. They are filling and taste great. You know you can also eat raw sprouted mung beans too as a snack or toss them in salads. I would sometimes pack them up for work to snack on just raw sprouts. Some other day, I will share my salad recipe using sprouts. We also make a dish with gravy to eat with bread using sprouts.
They can also be used in chaat recipes. So many ways to use them.
What is Sprouting?
Sprouting is a method usually used for beans or seeds, to soak them in water and let it germinate in dry place.
Why do we do it?
Sprouting beans increases its nutritional value and easy on digestion. Beans area a rich source of protein and sprouting really increases its value.
How to Sprout any beans?
To sprout mung beans – Whole green mung beans soak them in water (completely submerged in water, beans absorb water so they should be covered in more water) overnight or 5 hours at least. You can always drain out extra water later.
After they have soaked, rinse out the water and transfer mung beans to a muslin or cheese cloth. Tie it loosely and leave it in a bowl or colander for at least 2 days. The muslin cloth should be wet. If the cloth looks dry, sprinkle some water on it. You will be able to see the mung beans sprouting little by little. Make sure to check in everyday to see if they are sprouting or not. If they are sprouted enough, you can start using them. I have always had success sprouting them within two days. I keep them for two days as I like extra-long sprouts. Usually, in one day you will have enough sprouts. The cloth will have browning on it, just rinse it immediately with water and then bleach it while doing laundry. It can reuse. I have one dedicated cheesecloth for sprouting all things.
Beans should be place in dry place. Humidity makes them sticky.
One more tip- If you open the muslin cloth and the mung beans feel sticky, I just rinse them in water. That can happen, does not mean they are spoiled. If they smell funky or taste funky then we know they are really spoiled. It has never happened to me. Once the mung beans have sprouted, you can transfer them in a container and store them in the fridge. You can also deep freeze them for future use.
It sure looks like a process. But it takes minimal time. You just have to remember to check on them. Once you have enough, you can freeze them or use them immediately. I love to sprout a big batch and then transfer them zip lock bag for later use. If you do not feel excited about sprouting at home, you can buy them in stores. Any Indian grocery place carries them. I have always sprouted them at home and they much better. Once you start sprouting at home, there is no looking back. Mung beans are easy to learn how to sprout beans at home, but you can literally sprout any other beans too.
Sprouted Mung Beans
Ingredients
- 3 cups sprouted mung beans 1 cup whole green mung beans yield 3 cups sprouted
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2-3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- 1.5 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tbsp Cilantro to garnish
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Stove Top method- Boil sprouts with 2 cups of water until they are perfectly cooked in a pot until they still have a bite to them, and water has evaporated. It will take approximately 15 minutes. They cook quickly. Then follow the rest of the steps to make subji/curry. If they are cooked and there is still water, you can strain the water and use it later.
- Take some oil in pan on medium heat. Once the oil heats up, add the cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add the garlic, chilies and onions.
- Let it sauté for few minutes and once the onions turn translucent, add the spices, salt.
- Stir and add the boiled sprouts. Mix and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and cook for few more minutes, and water has evaporated. If you want to keep it saucy. Then you can add more water. Once you add the sprouts to onion mix, as they are already boiled, they don’t need a lot of time.
- Garnish it with cilantro and squeeze some lemon juice before serving. Serve it with rice and kadhi or roti.
- Instant pot method– If you are using instant pot follow these steps. Turn IP on sauté mode, add oil and let the oil heat up, then add the cumin seeds, once they splutter add onions, garlic and sauté it until they turn translucent. Add the spices and salt. Stir and add sprouts. Add 1 cup water. Then, pressure cook them on manual for 5 minutes on high. And let it natural release pressure.
- This dish is usually dry enjoyed with other accompaniments. You can keep it lit bit watery to your liking.
How to Sprout Mung Beans
- Sprout mung beans – 1 cup green whole mung soaked in water overnight or 5 hours at least.
- Rinse out the water and transfer mung beans to a muslin or cheese cloth. Tie it loosely and leave it in a bowl or colander for at least 2 days. If the cloth looks dry, sprinkle some water on it. You will be able to see the mung beans sprouting little by little. Make sure to check in everyday to see if they are sprouting or not. If they are sprouted enough, you can start using them. I have always had success sprouting them within two days.
- One more tip- If you open the muslin cloth and the mung beans feel sticky, I just rinse them in water. That can happen, does not mean they are spoiled. If they smell funky or taste funky then we know they are really spoiled. It has never happened to me. Once the mung beans have sprouted, you can transfer them in a container and store them in the fridge. You can also deep freeze them for future use. They can easily stay up to a week in fridge.
Notes
Happy 2021!
XO, Devangi