Thursday, July 10, 2008

Bean Sprouts

I decided to use my Easy Sprout sprouter again, but this time for bean sprouts! I used a small bean that looks like a black eyed pea, but it was dark red when dry. I'm not sure what they call them here. Sprouting not only enhances the nutritional value of beans, but it helps with digestibility and saves cooking time!

I soaked them about 8 hours. Since I had so many, I cooked most of them up, amounting to about 3 quarts when finished. The ones I separated out for sprouting amounted to 1/2 cup (after soaking). I rinsed them and put them into my sprouter and this is what they looked like after one day...

And the next day...

Aren't they beautiful?



I made sure to rinse them a few times daily as this helps keep them fresh. Since bean spouts should be cooked before eating (exception might be lentil sprouts), I boiled them. Next time I will steam them as this preserves nutrients better than boiling does. I did pop the skins off before cooking, but I don't think you have to.

In my quest to lessen/eliminate the gas problems associated with beans, this has promise! =)

For more on bean sprouts, check out the Sproutpeople.
Click here for a fun printable bean sprout shape book for young children.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Neato! I have some old organic beans that will not soften when I cook them and I thought about sprouting them like this...hmm...I think you've won me over to at least give it a try to see if I can salvage the beans. They are about 12 years old!

Loretta said...

Donna, let me know if it works. I've heard of seeds sprouting after years in storage. You'll probably have to soak them extra long. I would recommend a soak of at least 24 hours, but change the water a couple of times during this time. I did this with some old soybeans and I finally got them to soften for me.
Loretta