Anna's Masala Kitchen: Bean sprouts

Showing posts with label Bean sprouts. Show all posts

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.

Bean sprouts | how to sprout beans

by Anna Bolhuis on July 15, 2022

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 ...

One of my lunches this week was this delicious matki usal. Matki or moth beans are a brown legume and they are very tasty - even better when you sprout them! I posted a recipe for matki upkari (a Konkani recipe using sprouted moth beans which I make from time-to-time). Matki upkari is made with tomatoes, onions, and spices like cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric. This matki usal is ever so slightly different as it doesn't contain any tomatoes.

So - this dry (no gravy) Maharashtrian dish is made from moth bean sprouts, coconut, onions and curry leaves. Simple spices like cumin seeds and mustard seeds flavour the dish, and I also tend to add some tamarind and jaggery as well for that extra depth of flavour. Healthy, easy and quick to make and ready within 20 minutes - this is my kind of food and the type of food I enjoy cooking the most. So delicious with rice and dal or on its own with chapatis!

Ingredients
Serves 4

150g (1 1/2 cup) bean sprouts
Vegetable oil as required
1 large red or white onion finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 green chilli slit
Water as required
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp jaggery or unrefined sugar
Few tbsp freshly grated coconut (or desiccated coconut)
Handful curry leaves fresh or frozen
Handful fresh coriander leaves chopped

You'll need these spices
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

Method
Cook time - 30 minutes

Add a glug of vegetable oil to a pan on medium heat. Add 1tsp each of mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle.
Next add a handful curry leaves and the slit green chilli.
Add the chopped onion and sauté until lightly golden.
Next add the sprouted moth beans, the turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well and then add a splash of water.
Cover with a lid and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the beans are soft, adding a splash more water during the cooking process if the beans are catching on the bottom. Depending on the quality of your lentils they may need longer.

Finish with the tamarind paste and jaggery and mix well. Sprinkle over a generous amount of freshly grated coconut and chopped coriander and enjoy!!

Maharashtrian matki usal

by Anna Bolhuis on July 15, 2022

One of my lunches this week was this delicious matki usal. Matki or moth beans are a brown legume and they are very tasty - even better when...

This simple mixed bean sprouts masala is a tasty and easy side dish you can make within 30 minutes. I keep the spices simple in this recipe and it is not a spicy/hot dish. Its great to scoop up with chapatis or to have alongside some rice and dal.

Since learning how to make bean sprouts, tend to make them every other 2 - 3 weeks. They don't require much attention - apart from soaking overnight. You them simple have to leave them in a damp muslin and let them sprout for as long as you want. They are very healthy and compared they are easy to digest. Check out some of my other bean sprout recipes here!

Ingredients
Serves 4
450g / 2 cups mixed bean spouts (e.g., moth or mung bean sprouts) You need to sprout 1 cup / 200g beans to get the required sprouted beans for this recipe
1 large red or white onion finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
Small piece of ginger finely chopped
Salt to taste
Water as required
Vegetable oil as required
Fresh coriander to garnish

You'll need these spices
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder or 1/2 tsp normal red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds

Method
30 minutes

In a large saucepan or kadai, heat a little vegetable oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds and a little them sizzle.
Add the onion and saute until lightly golden.
Next, add the garlic and ginger and saute until the raw aroma of the garlic goes away.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are completely soft. This takes around 10 minutes. Add a splash water during this stage if the tomatoes are catching.
When the tomatoes are soft, add the remaining spices. Saute for a few minutes until the raw aroma of the spices goes away.
Next, add the bean sprouts. Add around 1 cup (250ml) water and then let them simmer for 20 minutes on low heat until soft. Add more water during the cooking process if they are catching or if the water evaporates.
When the bean sprouts are cooked through, give it a taste and add season with salt. Garnish with some fresh coriander and enjoy!

Simple mixed bean sprouts masala

by Anna Bolhuis on January 28, 2022

This simple mixed bean sprouts masala is a tasty and easy side dish you can make within 30 minutes. I keep the spices simple in this recipe ...

This delicious moth beans recipe is from the Konkani cuisine in India. Since discovering how to make bean sprouts I have been making all kinds of dishes with them - I've been adding them to stir fries and making mixed sprout curries. One recipe which I have been really loving is this makti upkari (from Yogesh's mum!)

Bean sprouts are incredibly healthy, are easy to digest and are packed full of fibre. I have already written up a post on how to make beans sprouts at home - do check it out! I won't go into the details of how to sprout them in this recipe.You can make this recipe with packaged sprouted beans - but they are generally less healthy and they have a increased bitter taste. Making them with home sprouted beans tastes so much better!

This makti upkari is a perfect side dish to have with rice & dalitoy (also another traditional Konkani recipe), or you can scoop it up with rotis / chapatis. The dish is seasoned with simple spices like turmeric, coriander and chilli powder. Some jaggery and salt help balance out the flavours in this dish. You need the jaggery (or some form of sugar) to take away the slight bitter taste in the beans. If you use home sprouted beans then you won't need so much, but if you use packaged bean sprouts then you might need to use some more. No garlic is added to this dish to overpower the flavours and this dish is not spicy!

Ingredients
Serves 4

2.5 cups / 450g moth bean sprouts you need 1 cup / 200g dried moth beans to get the required sprouted beans for this recipe

1 large red or white onion finely diced
Small piece ginger finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely diced
Salt to taste
Handful fresh coriander leaves chopped
Small piece whole jaggery or 1/2 tbsp powdered jaggery (you can also use natural cane sugar - just don't use refined sugar)
Vegetable oil as required
Water as required

You'll need these spices
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds

Method
Sprouting time - 2-3 days
Cooking time - 45 mins

Follow this recipe for sprouting the beans - you will need 2.5 cups / 450g of sprouted moth beans. Once you have sprouted them, give them a gentle rinse and then set them aside.
Add a few tbsp of vegetable oil to a large pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and saute them until they become fragrant.
Add the chopped ginger and saute for a few minutes until the raw aroma disappears. Next, add the chopped onion and saute until translucent, around 5-7 minutes.
Next, add the chopped tomatoes. Cook them until completely soft and until you see the oil leaving the sides of the mixture. This takes around 10 minutes.
Once the tomatoes are soft, add the remaining spices and saute for a few more minutes until the raw aroma of the spices goes away. Add a little water to prevent it from burning or catching if needed.
Next, add the sprouted moth beans. Mix well to combine and then top up with around 1 cup / 250ml of water. It has to cook well and the water will be absorbed during the cooking process.
Turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer the moth beans until tender - this takes around 30 minutes. Add water during the cooking process if required. By the end of the cooking, the beans should still hold their shape, but they should be soft as well and not hard.
Season the dish with salt to taste and the jaggery. Mix well so the jaggery dissolves and then garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with rotis or alongside a steaming plateful of rice and dal for a well balanced and healthy meal.