|
Remember last week I told you about a mung bean project our Bible study class was working on? Well, mine turned out successful, and even edible!! This is what we did:
1. Choose organic, dried mung beans (found at most healthfood stores) and rinse and drain them well before soaking.
2. Take a wide-mouthed mason jar and place a 1/4 cup of mung beans in the bottom of a clean
jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheese cloth and a rubber band. (mung beans will at
least double in size during sprouting)
3. Cover the beans with water and allow them to soak in the water overnight, or for 8-12 hours.
4. Then rinse them well.
5. Return beans to the jar and let them set in a cool, semi-lit place while the beans sprout.
6. Rinse and drain the beans well every 8 hours or so (I rinsed mine in the morning, right
before dinner, and then if I remembered before I went to bed and mine grew just fine)
and then return them to the jar. (I actually rinsed mine in the jar by removing the
cheese cloth, filling the jar with water, then replacing the cheese cloth and then draining
the water off through the cheese cloth)
7. Your sprouts will grow very rapidly. You can stop sprouting after 2 days when the tails
are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, or keep them growing up to 4 days for large, plump sprouts.
8. Finish sprouting by giving your beans a final rinse and then placing them in the refrigerator
with the actual mason jar lid over the top of the jar.
9. Sprouts should last 2-6 weeks. However, it will depend on the length of sprouting and
amount of moisture on the beans when you placed them in the refrigerator.
Here are pictures of mine:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Last night we made Egg Foo Young with our sprouts. Here is the recipe I used:
Egg Foo Young
2c. Mung Bean Sprouts
10 eggs
1 c. deli ham cut up in pieces (lunch meat ham)
1/2 t. soy sauce
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onions
canola oil
(peanut oil recommded but mine turned out just fine using canola)
red and green sweet pepper (optional)
Rinse and drain bean sprouts thoroughly. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute. Combine eggs with bean sprouts, chopped ham, soy sauce, pepper and green onions. In a small non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil on high heat for 2 minutes; reduce heat to medium. Pour 1/2 cup egg mixture into hot skillet. Cook quickly until set and browned around edges. Turn and brown on other side. Stack on a hot plate and cover until all of the egg mixture has been cooked. Serve with steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and red and green sweet peppers, if desired. (I sauted by onions and peppers before I cooked my egg mixture and actually put them in the eggs rather than using them as a garnish, it was Yummy!)
We ate ours with steamed brown rice and broccoli, YUUUUMMMY!!!
I found some information about the nutritional value of mung beans and wanted to share this information with you also:
Used extensively in Asian cuisine, bean sprouts are not often considered by the public as a nutritional element. However, bean sprouts, or rather Mung Bean Sprouts, as they are properly called, contain pure forms of vitamins A, B, C, and E, in addition to an assortment of minerals including Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.Thanks to this vitamin & mineral two-fisted punch of nutrition, bean sprouts are gaining popularity as a health food, turning up in everything from salads to soups or just as a healthy snack. Available fresh all year round, their delightful crunch and mild flavor make for an enjoyable snack experience, and are a welcome addition to many meals as an accompaniment or ingredient. It should be taken into consideration that the actual nutritional content is not sufficient as a total source of vitamins and minerals for the day; rather, they should be used in addition to other healthy, nutritious foods, and as a substitute for other less wholesome foods, such as rice and pasta.
Produced from mung beans, the sprouts are free of cholesterol, and are ideal for anyone counting calories. One cup of mung bean sprouts contains only approximately 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, only 6 carbohydrates, and only .2 grams of fat. Sprouts also contain a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process.
A health advisory was issued for raw sprouts some years ago regarding the risk of food-borne illnesses. The reasoning was that sprouts are usually grown in a warm environment, ideal for the growth of bacteria. Cooking the sprouts will destroy this harmful bacteria. Washing and chilling raw sprouts will also reduce the risk of harmful bacteria.
The sprouts can be purchased canned, but for better quality and a superior flavor and crispness, then look for fresh bean sprouts in the produce aisle of your supermarket. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for almost a week, but only maintain maximum freshness for about 3-4 days, and then will start to grow slimy and decay. Keeping them packed loosely will help to preserve their freshness. Look for sprouts that appear to have moist roots and a white color. They should be crisp, and are usually washed free of seed coats, but not always.
Exquisite in stir-fries, use them to replace noodles and rice, and add an assortment of herbs and spices such as ginger and garlic for an extra shopping list of various vitamins and health benefits.
Some cultures also use the mung beans for creative dessert uses. Other ideas include using sprouts in coleslaw, wraps, and omelets.
It is easy to grow your own sprouts; there is a wealth of information and products available on the internet to help you maintain a fun and healthy sprout garden on your windowsill. In addition, it makes a great project for children!
Post a Comment