For a cook, summer has so many rewards. There are all those fresh fruits and vegetables. The fact that it doesn’t take a day and a half for your bread to rise. And, for a bean-lover, there’s the magic of sprouts. My sprout obsession kicks into high gear every summer. While sprouting is a great idea at any time of the year, the heat does the job much faster. If you’re a novice to sprouting, there’s no better time to start than the summer. And although you can buy all kinds of fancy equipment to sprout, there’s really no need for anything other than a colander, a kitchen towel, and a bowl to get the perfect sprouts. All you need to do is soak your beans or lentils overnight or for up to eight hours in enough water to cover them by at least three inches. Drain the beans in a colander, give them a thorough wash, and let them sit in the colander, covered with a kitchen towel, until little white shoots appear. Simple. You do have to rinse them a couple of times a day– once in the morning and again in the evening – which is easy enough to do in a colander. Then put them right back in their resting place, covered, and you should have perfect sprouts to cook with in a day or two. There are a number of health benefits to sprouting:
Sprouting increases the B-vitamin content of the bean– astronomically. When a bean sprouts, it creates all kinds of good-for-you enzymes. Sprouting makes nutrients in the bean more bio-available, so they are better absorbed by your body. Sprouts contain even more fiber than the unsprouted bean does. Sprouts are a good source of essential fatty acids. The quality of the bean’s protein improves when it sprouts, improving its nutritional value.
Plus, it doesn’t cost anything to sprout, so why wouldn’t you do it? If you’re still not sure, start with sprouting mung beans which are the easiest to sprout. And when you do, the first thing you’ll want to try with them are these Sprouted Mung Bean Burgers. These burgers spin off from a traditional Indian recipe, moong dal tikkis, and need no exotic or hard-to-acquire Indian ingredients to prepare. Even the turmeric is optional. But they are so flavorsome, you will be in love with them right from the moment they send their fragrance wafting through the house as they sizzle in the pan. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
Jay gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up, so this recipe is kid-friendly as well. This burger is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, thanks to the potatoes. and it can freeze beautifully, separated by wax paper. But if you’re looking for a burger to grill, you might want to try my Chana Masala burger or one of these many other grillable veggie burger recipes I’ve posted in the past which tend to be more hefty and chewy. I served these on all-whole-wheat burger buns. Slather them with the green chutney recipe below or with this easy mint chutney. Heaven.
More vegan veggie burger recipes
More recipes with sprouts
Easy bean sprout curry Sprouted Moong Bean Salad Instant Pot Khichdi with Mung Bean Sprouts
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