What are mung bean sprouts?

Mung bean sprouts are mung beans that have started to grow. Mung beans belong to the legume family, meaning they grow inside a pod. Mung beans are in fact seeds, so when the conditions are right, they naturally begin to germinate.

Have you ever been to a Southeast Asian restaurant and wondered how they get to grow their sprouts so long? I love the crunch and texture mung bean sprouts add to Southeast Asian dishes.

With some love and care, you can grow long and strong bean sprouts at home, to use in your favourite Asian dishes like Pad Thai, fried rice, noodle dishes, soups etc. etc. Read on to learn how!

Why sprout legumes?

Disclaimer – I am not a nutrition expert, so please do not consider this as expert advice.

• Sprouting makes legumes easily digestible.
• Reduces anti nutrients.
• Increases the nutrition value.
• Makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrients.
• Transforms the taste and texture.

Two types of mung bean sprouts

Mung bean sprouts are extensively used in South Asian and South East Asian cuisines.

South Asians sprout mung beans(green moong) for a shorter period, generally not longer than 24 hours. At this stage, the sprouts still look like mung beans with a small white sprout, generally not longer than 1/2 inch.

Meanwhile the Southeast Asians grow it for a longer period of 3-7 days, letting the sprouts grow as long as 2-3 inches. The sprouts are transformed and they no longer look like a bean!

Both kinds of sprouts have different tastes and textures.

How easy is it to grow mung bean sprouts at home?

Sprouts are easy to grow in summers or in temperatures above 70F/21C. When temperatures dip, you may need to find a warm spot for the sprouts to grow.

Shorter bean sprouts

• Easy to grow.
• Don’t need any baby sitting.
• Can be grown in a bowl, a jar or tied in a cloth.
• Can be grown right on the counter-top.
• Ready within 24 hours(after soak time)

Make this easy South-Indian salad with your sprouts.

Longer bean sprouts

• Rinsing the sprouts twice(morning and evening) will take five minutes of your time everyday.
• Needs a colander or any other apparatus with drainage holes. I use my steamer (affiliate link) which doubles perfectly as a sprouting equipment!
• Needs a dark spot, away from light for ideal growth.
• Depending on the temperature, longer sprouts take 3-5 days to grow.

Use these longer sprouts in Southeast Asian recipes like this Lemongrass fried rice and Thai basil fried rice.

Why grow mung bean sprouts at home?

• Mung bean sprouts available at stores are not as fresh as homemade.
• You know exactly what has gone into homemade sprouts.
• Store bought sprouts may have added preservatives.
• Hygiene is very important when it comes to growing and storage of bean sprouts.

Safe sprouting

Warm and humid conditions are ideal to grow sprouts which also happens to be an ideal growing condition for bad bacteria. Use good quality mung beans and clean equipment and clean water to grow sprouts. Remember to discard the water that drains down from the rinsing of sprouts.

While it is generally safe when sprouted at home, please use your judgement when using it raw. When in doubt, use sprouts blanched instead of raw. Pregnant women, younger kids, seniors and people with weakened immune system should eat sprouts blanched/cooked instead of raw. Read an article from the FDA here.

Personally, I use the smaller sprouts raw in salads but I blanch or cook the longer sprouts that have been growing for 3-5 days, before eating.

How to grow mung bean sprouts. Steps & video