How to grow mung bean sprouts
Everything you need to know about growing your own mung bean sprouts. Yield 1/4 cup dry beans - 2 cups of short sprouts1/4 cup dry beans - 6 cups long bean sprouts
Yield: 6 cups
Equipment
- colander or something similar with holes for drainage.
- A bowl to collect water dripping out of the colander.
Materials
- ¼ cup dry mung beans moong/green gram/hesaru
Instructions
- Wash and soak the beans in water for 8 hours or until plump. I soak the beans overnight.
- Drain the water and give the beans a rinse with fresh water.
Growing shorter sprouts for South Asian recipes
- Put the soaked, rinsed and drained mung beans back in the same bowl.
- Cover and place in a warm spot for 18-24 hours. Check notes to grow sprouts in winter.
- Rinse and use in recipes like this sprouts salad. Refrigerate if not using immediately.
Growing longer sprouts for Southeast Asian recipes
- Add soaked rinsed & drained mung beans into a colander lined with paper towel/muslin cloth.
- Place the colander in a larger bowl, so that water can drip out. It will also help in keeping the light out, so choose an opaque bowl. Note: I use this two tier steamer as my sprouting apparatus.
- Place a plate on top of the beans. This makes the shoots grow thick and strong.
- Cover with a dark coloured towel so that light cannot enter into the colander.
- Now, place the entire setup in a warm, dark spot where light cannot enter.
- Twice every day(morning & evening), take the colander out, remove the towel and the plate and give the sprouts a good rinse under running water as it requires moisture to grow healthy.
- Every time you rinse, remember to discard the water that has collected in the drainage bowl.
- Place the colander back in the bowl, place the heavy plate on top and cover with the dark colored towel.
- Repeat steps 6-8 twice everyday for 3-5 days or until the bean sprouts have grown about 2-3 inches long. Note : Growth depends on room temperature. Please check notes below,
- Refrigerate in an air tight bag and use within 3 days. Recipe ideas - lemongrass fried rice, Thai basil fried rice
Video
Notes
- Please check the video for a visual guide.
- It is easier to grow sprouts in warmer temperatures of above 70F/21C.
- In winter, place the beans in a warm spot to encourage sprouting. I turn my oven on for two minutes, turn it off and place the beans in.
- To grow the longer kind of sprouts,
- use a colander or anything else with drainage holes. I use my two tier steamer.
- Remember to rinse the sprouts twice everyday for ideal growth.
- Remember to discard the water collecting in the drainage bowl to avoid the growth of harmful micro organisms.
- Remember to place the colander in a dark spot .
- Use caution when using raw sprouts, personally I use the shorter sprouts raw, but I always blanch the longer sprouts that have been growing for 3-7 days
- Short sprouts grow in 24 hours(after soaking)
- Longer sprouts take 3 whole days(after soaking) 3 x 24 = 72 hours