Bean sprouts | how to sprout beans

Bean sprouts are incredibly healthy and they are so easy to make! You can use them in a variety of recipes, from salads to something like a mixed sprout curry. I have a recipe for a sprout curry coming up soon, given by Yogesh's mum. Bean sprouts are a type of vegetable which are made by sprouting either whole mung beans (green gram) or moth beans. They are left to germinate in either a muslin cloth or container. Sprouting beans at home is so much healthier than buying bean sprouts from the supermarket or outside. Quite often preservatives are put into packaged bean sprouts and they can have a bitter or sour taste. Also they usually always come in plastic packaging. 

Sprouting at home gives tender and delicious beans which have a delicate flavour (almost like peas). They are easy to digest and contain high levels of fibre. All in all, they are a great addition to your diet!

Ingredients & tools
1 cup mung or moth beans 1 cup of dried beans will give around 2,5 cups of sprouted beans
Water to soak the beans 
Muslin cloth & large bowl 
Something to cover the bowl (lid or a plate)

Method
2-3 days

• Rinse the beans using clean water to remove any impurities. 
  
  
• When you've rinsed the beans, soak them with at least 3 times the amount of water in a large bowl. Cover and let the beans soak for 8 hours, or overnight. 
  
  
• The next day, drain the water. 
  
  
• Place the soaked beans sprouts in the center of a damp muslin cloth. Gather the muslin cloth in at the corners so the beans are completely covered by the cloth. Make sure the cloth is not too tight. 
  
  
• Place the beans in the cloth back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a lid or plate.
  
  
• Keep the beans in a cool place for 1-2 days. After this time the beans will have sprouted like they have in the picture. You can of course leave them longer if you want to have longer sprouted beans (I would recommend this if you are planning on making a quick stir fry instead of something like a curry which needs more cooking). 
  
  
• The bean sprouts are ready to be used. They keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.