What to sprout? Any combination of dried beans, seeds, pulses, even wheat berries. Pictured here are lentils, mung beans, radish seeds, clover seeds and fenugreek. Mung beans, the most common sprout found in Chinese cooking, are pretty bland. Lentils are my favorite sprout. Use dried beans only: cooked or canned beans are not viable--they won't sprout. The bulk bins at natural foods stores are a great place to find new things to sprout. (If you want to sprout radish seeds (very spicy!) or broccoli seeds, do NOT use seeds intended for garden planting: they are often treated with anti-fungal chemicals.) Get your seeds from a natural foods store.
Materials needed:
1. A container to hold your sprouts. A large mouth makes it much easier to get the sprouts out.
2. A square of cheesecloth or other screen to cover the mouth (makes it easier to rinse your sprouts).
3. A rubberband to hold to cheesecloth to the container.
4. A small dish to set the sprout container on.
Pour dry seeds and/or beans into container.
Do not fill the container more than 20% -- sprouts will increase in volume up to 5 times as they grow.
Place the cheesecloth over the top of the container & secure it with the rubberband. You can cut the cheesecloth to fit the container mouth, but it must still be large enough to be secured by the rubberband all the way around.
Pour cool water through the cheesecloth and into the container. Swirl it around, and then slowly pour off the water.
Refill the container with water, let it soak for a few hours, and then drain. (This initial soaking is to hydrate the beans/seeds. After this time, do NOT leave the sprout container full of water -- they'll drown!)
Set the container upside down on the dish. This will keep the sprouts happy and moist as they grow.
Rinse the sprouts twice a day with cool or tepid water. The rest of the time, leave the container sitting upside down on the dish. Within 3 or 4 days...they're ready!
The finished product!
To harvest, remove the cheesecloth, and put sprouts in the fridge in a sealed container. Use within one week. (Or eat 'em right away -- they're best fresh!)
If you're having trouble, feel free to email me. Enjoy!
