Sprouts have been an integral part of Indian cuisine may it be in the form of whole sprouts or as flours. A wide variety of dishes like Usals, misals, gravies, or salads are made from sprouts.
Moong ( Green Gram) Sprouts. Picture Courtesy: A Fabulous Client
Buy good quality pulses, nuts, or seeds. They should be raw and not roasted or blanched.
If you are sprouting pulses or seeds, wash them thoroughly before soaking.
Soak the Pulses/ Nuts/ Seeds in water for a couple of hours. Remember- The sprouting technique is the same for all but the duration of soaking and sprouting may vary. eg. Nuts require anywhere between 2-8 hrs while pulses and seeds require 8-12 hours or more. Hence determine the soaking time based on which pulses, nuts or seeds you wish to sprout.
Soaked Chickpeas
Once soaking is done. The pulses, nuts, or seeds swell up properly. Discard the water and place then in an open vessel or strainer or a muslin cloth.
The moisture, exposure to the atmosphere, and the right temperature are important for sprouting.
Sprouting can take anywhere between 2-4 days post-soaking.
Sprouting of the green chana Begins in 2 days
Fully sprouted Green Chana
What are the problems that arise during sprouting?
Sprouting did not take place –
If the pulses, nuts, or seeds are not of good quality or have undergone any form of pretreatment. Sprouting may not happen.
If the soaking has been done for a longer duration even then sprouting becomes an issue.
If the temperature of the room is too high or low, the process of sprouting is affected.
Foul odour/ Bad odour- When soaking is done for long periods and the water is not changed frequently the water becomes slimy and a kind of foam appears on the surface leading to a foul odour.
Benefits of sprouting
Alfa alfa sprouts
Sprouting makes the pulses or grains more edible and easy to digest.
The process of sprouting improves the bioavailability and digestibility of nutrients.
It reduces antinutritional factors like phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors, etc.
Protein quality improves by sprouting.
As per a study on Cereal sprouts -Sprouting of grains for a certain period causes an increase in the activities of hydrolytic enzymes, improvement in the contents of certain essential amino acids, total sugars, and B-group vitamins, and a decrease in dry matter, starch, and antinutrients but the study also mentioned that all this would depend on several factors like the type of seed, duration of soaking/sprouting, sprouting conditions, etc.
A study on the germination of wheat shows that germination increases the antioxidants available.
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