Sprouted Beans - Reinventing Food

Reinventing Food is series of blogposts where as a chef, I will share a few of the food discoveries and recipes I am collecting throughout my world tour. Each traditional dish will be the playground for creative cooking and ideation.

Sprouted beans or grains are a common food in diets of many vegans for its nutritional value and in some cases taste. I had the pleasure to eat sprouted beans and chickpeas during the healing retreat in Pragpur, India. Sprouting is a technique that enhances the nutritional value of grains and beans by bringing them alive, making them richer in protein, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and vitamins C and K. The several health benefits related to sprouting make it a superfood, which we will explore on a future blogpost. Back in London, I found very difficult to find available fresh sprouts in any supermarket besides a few specialised food shops. I suppose its short shelf-life (7 days) and our cultural eating habits, makes sprouts difficult to market. In the past, I sprouted beans and grains a few times. Therefore, I decided to go on sharing the simple technique of sprouting so you can sprout any grain at your home and enjoy this delicious alive food.

SPROUTING MONK BEANS (easy cooking level)

Ingredients

1 cup of organic monk beans

3 cups of water

Cooking tools

1 big bowl

1 big jar

1 cloth

How to make it

1. Rinse the beans. Rinse the mung beans until the water runs clear.

2. Place the beans in a bowl.

3. Add the water. Pour enough cold water into the bowl to immerse the beans

4. Soak for 6-12 hours. After 6-12 hours (usually around 8 hours), the beans will swell. How long they have to soak will depend on the beans and the temperature of where you live.

5. Drain and rinse the beans. Drain away the excess water, rinse them with cold water, and drain the water again.

6. Place the swelled beans in a jar, covered with a cloth allowing airflow.

7. Put the jar in a cool, dry, dark place. Find a place that gets little to no sunlight where the beans will not be disturbed.

8. Like taking care of your plants, you need now to go through a 2-5 day cycle of rinsing and draining the beans every 12 hours and placing them in the dark spot. How long you wait depends on how sprouted you want your beans to be or the grain and bean. For monk beans it usually takes 3-4 days.

Done! When you see your beans sprouted to the length you desire, they're ready to eat! Sprouted beans or grains usually have a shelf-life of 7 days in your fridge.

MORNING SPROUTED BEAN TOAST for one person (easy cooking level)

Ingredients

1 cup of organic sprouted monk beans

1 big pinch of sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon of ghee or coconut fat

1/2 avocado

1/4 of lemon

1/2 table spoon of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Black pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Some watercress

Two slices of toasted sourdough bread

Cooking tools

1 frying pan

1 toaster

1hand blender and a cup

How to make it

1. Toast the sunflower seeds and the sprouted monk beans on a frying pan without using any fat or oil. Once well toasted add the ghee or coconut oil and stir for a few seconds until everything gets well mixed. Keep it on the side.

2. Blend the avocado with the lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, black pepper and salt until you get the consistency of a purée/sauce.

3. Toast your two slices of bread.

4. Finally, mix your toasted beans and seeds with your avocado purée. Spread it on your toast and add some watercress. And Voilá!

Enjoy a healthy morning.