Sprouting the most common mung bean sprouts

Why sprout? The process of sprouting or germination significantly increases the number of vitamins and nutrients not present in the un-sprouted forms. Sprouts have the highest bioavailability of nutrients, they become a powerhouse for the growing seedling!

When you eat sprouts, it's like you are eating the whole plant! The positive changes within the seeds lead to the break down of anti-nutrients such as phytate and protease inhibitors, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients in it. There are many wonderful excuses to eat more sprouts!

Mung dal sprouts are low in calories, have fiber and vitamin B, vitamins C and K content; that's the reason it qualifies for a super-healthy food!

Enrich your meals with sprouting on regular basis, there are so many ways you could use sprouts-

• chaat

• salads

• yogurt or dahi balla topping

• as a side

• in sandwiches

• in place of fried snacks/namkeen

• mixed with the nuts

• topped with chutneys

...and many more!

Do you need special seeds for sprouting?

Yes, you do! I've tried it with just any bag of lentils from the grocery store, it didn't sprout the way it should. The reason is that beans are regularly irradiated to stop sprouting before they hit our grocery store shelves. So, I'd recommend you buy labeled 'for sprouting' only. My favorite brand is Todd's seeds on amazon

What about the safety concerns of raw sprouts?

Even though most of us eat these raw, for food safety reasons, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts may lead to food poisoning from harmful bacteria. Thoroughly cooking sprouts kills harmful germs and reduces the chance of food poisoning

Why keep away from sprouting kidney beans?

The only bean to steer clear from is sprouting is the kidney beans. These contain toxins if eaten in any raw form and cause illness.

If you are just starting out, what special tool do you need?

Places of less humidity like where I live like MN, jar-method works great. But places of more humidity, sprouting tray works better (to avoid the mold). I use:

• a quart size or half-gallon sized mason jar

• a sprouting lid OR cheesecloth and an elastic band

• organic sprouting seeds – you would need the one which is specifically labeled “sprouting seeds”

Let's start the sprouting process:

Step1: With clean hands, rinse the lentils twice to remove any dirt. I have 1 cup of raw lentils here.

Step2: SOAK in 3 cups water, for around 12 hrs, at room temperature. It'll double in volume.