Sprouting Mung Bean. Recipe: Mung Bean Salad

Sprouting beans, seeds, nuts or grains is an easy, minimal effort process and has health benefits and more over inexpensive. Sprouting is believed to increase the protein quality, fiber and essential enzymes. 

Sprouting does take time but does not consume a lot of time on our part. Here, I am showing you process of sprouting Mung Bean.

Method:

1. Soak 2 cups mung beans in sufficient water. Water should be at least 2 inches above the level of the beans. Leave it to soak for 7 to 8 hours.

2. After 7 to 8 hours you will notice the cover of some beans ripped and you will notice the white part inside. This is an indication that the beans have been soaked well.

3. Drain all the water and transfer all the beans in a wet thin cotton or muslin cloth and wrap all the beans together. Leave the wrapped beans in a strainer so that excess water drains out. Leave it for another 7 to 10 hours allowing it to sprout. Sprinkle sufficient water on wrapped beans periodically. Twice or thrice in 10 hours should be fine. Keeping the cloth damp makes sprouting easy. 

4. You should notice the beans sprouting within 4 hours. In about 8 hours you should have about 0.5 cm to 1 cm long sprouts. It is ready to be consumed.

5. Refrigerate the beans in an air-tight container at this stage if you have to consume it after a while

6. Mung Beans can be consumed raw or steamed for 10 mins

Recipes:

You can be extensively creative with mung bean recipes. The following recipe is a Mung Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup sprouted mung beans (raw or steamed.)

2. 1/2 medium size onion finely chopped

3. 1 medium size tomato finely chopped

4. 1 celery stick diced 

5. 1/2 tea spoon salt (salt can be altered as per your taste)

6. 1/4 tea spoon pepper

7. 2 tbl spoons of lemon/lime juice (you can alter lemon/lime juice as per your taste)

8. 2 tbl spoons of chopped cilantro or parsley

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and your salad is ready.

Diced cucumbers, nuts,sunflower seeds apples, bell peppers, garlic powder (anything you like can be added to this salad. You need not be rigid about using the same ingredients mentioned in the recipe)

Topping the salad with cornflakes can add some crunch to the salad. 

You can have the salad as a complete meal or as a side or just a small snack.

Note: Mung beans can be refrigerated and stored for about a week.