Sprouting 101

Every time I think I’ve learned “all I need to know” about storing, cooking and enjoying food, I manage to prove myself wrong. Case in point: Sprouting – particularly grains and beans. We lean towards the “veggie” perspective (pretty strictly, for quite a number of years). However, as we’ve simultaneously gotten a little older and dramatically reduced our intake of legumes, our ability to digest them has decreased. So I’ve been scouting around for ways to make it easier for us to handle them. We tried the digestive enzyme sold specifically for this purpose, which helped some, but didn’t cure the problem. I also tried soaking the beans (refrigerated) for several days, changing the water twice a day. Perhaps it would have worked better if they had been kept at room temperature (which is what the instructions generally recommend), but I just wasn’t comfortable with that idea. Then I discovered sprouting. (Rediscovered, more accurately.) And have been pleasantly surprised by a number of things. First, food that is sprouted expands quite a bit, and so will go a lot further – literally stretching one’s food dollar! Second, beans that have been sprouted really are far easier to digest. Sprouted beans (or grains) store nicely in the fridge for days, needing only an occasional rinse to keep them fresh, so there’s very little waste. (Proponents say the nutrients in sprouted foods become much more bio-available, but the research I’ve read has been conflicting on that point.) An unexpected bonus: Because they are sprouted ahead of time, and because so little results in so much food, it’s easy to keep them on hand, ready to cook at a moment’s notice. So if I haven’t taken anything out of the freezer to thaw, I can still put dinner on the table in a flash! The only disadvantage, if there is one, is that sprouted beans tend to stay a little on the crunchy side unless cooked really thoroughly – but even slightly crunchy sprouted beans are remarkably easy to digest! Our sprouting experiment started with wheat, and expanded into garbanzos, cranberry beans (which look like overgrown pintos), lentils and pink beans. (The only beans that haven’t worked all that well, so far, are pintos and black beans.) The wheat has been fun – after sprouting, I ground some to add to the dough for sourdough tortillas, which gave them a nice flavor – took the edge off the sourdough. I also dried some, which I later ground into flour. I’d read that flour ground from sprouted grains can be used in pretty much the same way as traditional flour, and so tossed it into the bread machine with the rest of the ingredients for my favorite bread recipe. Wasn’t sure how it would really work – sprouting, I reasoned, must change the gluten in some way, but it actually made a very nice loaf of bread. A little gummy, perhaps, but the flavor was nice nonetheless. I’ve also taken the wheat sprouts, just as they are, as a snack for work. And the beans have been fun. It’s been great to enjoy these protein-packed foods again, without any of us suffering digestive distress. And legumes of all stripes are a huge boon in a food storage plan -- high quality protein, shelf stable, can be stored for years, and each pound in storage is worth at least three pounds on the table! Most sprouted beans need to be cooked, and can be used in pretty much any recipe calling for dried beans. One concern I had was convincing my family to try them. I used a three-prong approach: educate them about the benefits of sprouted foods; use them in foods they already enjoy; and offer something else as a backup, just in case. I knew I’d probably face a mutiny if I simply announced one evening that we’d be enjoying pan-fried lentil sprouts with our brown rice and salad. Fortunately, there was some leftover pizza in the fridge. So I cooked the lentils briefly with some garlic, seasoned them with a little soy sauce, and politely asked everyone to have a bite "to taste it". To my surprise and delight, they actually wanted a serving along with their pizza. Cool!! Sprouting most grains and beans is about the easiest kind of “cooking” there is: Put the grains or beans into a jar or other container (they need plenty of room to expand – no more than a cup of beans in a quart jar, and 2/3 or so is better), rinse, then fill the jar with cool water. Cover the jar with cheesecloth or a clean dishcloth, or, if it’s a canning jar, one of those plastic mesh lids with holes especially designed for this purpose (you could also use plastic window screen material, or any other rust-proof material that lets the jar drain). Leave at room temperature for 8 – 12 hours (or a little longer), then drain. Rinse and drain a couple of times a day, until little tails appear. (This usually only takes a day or two.) How long the tails should be allowed to get depends on the intended use. Sprouted beans can be used in virtually any recipe that calls for dried beans. I’ve even used sprouted white beans, which I accidentally cooked until they disintegrated, as the base for a pasta sauce. Here’s how I made the sprouted lentil dish: Pan-fried Lentil Sprouts Butter Small handful slivered garlic (I used some from a batch of lacto-fermented pickles) 2 cups sprouted lentils, tails 3/8” or so Soy Sauce Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. It’s ok if they end up lightly browned. Add the lentils and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 – 15 minutes (add a little water if necessary). Add soy sauce to taste. Enjoy.