how to make bean sprouts

I love bean sprouts.  They're delicious and a great source of nutrition.  Just the act of sprouting beans increases their nutrition.  It also makes their nutrients more bio-available because the first step, soaking, removes phytic acids which interfere with nutrient absorption.

A while back my friend Jen asked me how to make them.  She had been interested in doing it but was afraid it was too difficult.  She wanted pictures to show her how it was done.  I promised that the next time I made bean sprouts I would take pictures and share the process.

This is a batch of lentil, adzuki, mung bean sprouts.  You can use any beans you like depending on what you have handy in your pantry.  I almost always have mung beans and lentils so I use those a lot.  The other beans vary.  I usually make a bean sprout mix with anywhere from three to five different kinds of beans.

Start by putting a small handful of each of the different beans into a colander and picking them over.  Dry beans frequently have small rocks, little clumps of dirt or other debris in the package, it's important to sort through them before you use them.

After picking them over, rinse the beans well.

Then...

Put them into a bowl and cover them with water.

Put them in the oven overnight

(Be sure to put a note on the oven so you don't accidentally turn it on to pre-heat

when your beans are in there.  Trust me on this one.)

The next morning take your beans out of the oven and drain them.

Rinse them well and put them back in the oven.

The next day rinse and drain your beans and put them back in the oven.

Keep doing this.

On day two or three you will notice that your beans have little white sprout tails.

On day three or four you will notice that lots of beans have sprouted and they are ready to eat.

How long they take to sprout depends on how warm or cold it is in your house.  Warmer weather 

causes them to sprout faster so in my house it's usually three days.

Once you have your sprouts ready to eat it's best to store them in the fridge.  

What can you do with them?  I put mine into salads, stir fry, curry, smoothies (just a tiny bit for a protein boost), I also eat them raw as a snack.  They're absolutely fabulous.  

I hope you'll give it a try.

Be well.