Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts

This is a healthful recipe that calls for bean sprouts which are rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Mung beans are small dried green beans with yellow flesh. Like all beans, they’re rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and iron, but they’re mainly grown for sprouting. Mung bean sprouts have long been a familiar ingredient in many Asian dishes. Traditional Chinese medicine maintains that mung beans have a “heat-clearing, toxin-resolving” effect that eases conditions such as diarrhea and painful swelling. If the idea of growing your own vegetables appeals to you, you might want to start with sprouting mung beans. Simply soak the beans overnight and then keep them in a warm, dark container, watering them occasionally until they sprout. The delicate shoots should be silvery white with small yellow leaves, and have an understated nutty flavor. Whether or not you grow them yourself or buy them at a market, always use crisp, almost dry-looking sprouts – brown-tinged, wet sprouts are past their peak. They’ll keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

Food as Medicine

Sprouting mung beans boosts their content of the following B vitamins dramatically: B1, 285 percent; B2 up to 515 percent, and B3 up to 256 percent.

1 pound fresh mung bean sprouts
1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
3 scallions, split lengthwise and cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar
Salt to taste
Red pepper flakes, natural soy sauce or rice vinegar

1. Wash, drain and dry the bean sprouts in a kitchen towel or paper towels.

2. Heat the canola oil in a wok or skillet; add the scallions and ginger, and stir-fry over high heat for a few seconds. Then add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for 1 minute. Do not overcook; sprouts should remain crunchy but lose their raw bean taste.

3. Add the brown sugar and salt to taste. Mix well and serve. Add pinches of red pepper flakes or dashes of natural soy sauce and rice vinegar for additional flavor.