Sprouts

# of servings:  4	Soak Time:  8 hrs (or) overnight
Preparation Time:  10 mins	Setting Time:  12 - 16 hrs

Sprouting increases the nutritional value of seeds and grains.  But it doesn't have to increase the budget on the pocket.  Grains can be sprouted easily at home with a little patience.  Be sure to check the video that shows an ancient grandma-style secret to making the best quality sprouts!

Ingredients:

• Green gram (or) Moth gram (or) Channa (or) Methi seeds (or) Peanuts (or) any preferred dicotyledons - 1 cup

Method:

• Wash and drain the grains a couple of times
• Add 6 cups of water and let the grains soak for at least 8 hours (or) overnight
• After soaking, drain all the water and rinse again a couple of times
• Leave an inch of water above the grains in the vessel and separate the hard, unsoaked seeds using the method shown in the video below
• Place the well soaked and drained seeds in a steamer basket and place it inside another vessel and close tight with a lid.  A pressure cooker can be great as it seals well (IP vessel works perfectly and can be set to 'Yogurt' mode to maintain a warm ambience for the seeds to germinate well)
• Leave it aside in a dark place (like an oven) for 12-16 hours (or 'Yogurt' mode for 14 hrs in the IP works well.  Do not add any water to the bottom.  Just place the steamer basket with the grains and close it, with valve in 'sealing')
• Re-soak the stony, unsoaked beans again (or) use them for cooking as they will get softer when cooked
• Open after the set time and the seeds would have sprouted.  The length of the sprouts varies from grain to grain AND season to season. Moong (green gram) can generate long sprouts whereas channa might have just started to break the eye.  If longer sprouts are desired, leave them aside for a few more hours and then store them away in the refrigerator
• Can be eaten raw (or) used in Salads (or) even make Sprouts Sambar with them

Tips and Tricks:

• Washing before soaking takes away all unwanted debris as well as any dust or sprays on the seeds
• Washing after soaking is equally essential.  Due to the osmosis of water, during soaking, the water would have acquired an unpleasant smell.  Draining and rinsing will eliminate the odor and also increase the shelf-life of the sprouts, or they will go bad very quickly!
• Separating out the unsoaked hard beans is vital for the quality of the sprouts.  It will not sit well with the teeth while eating soft sprouts and biting into a stone-hard unsoaked seed! 
• Not many grains may remain hard.  But even one or two that come in the way will spoil the charm of eating sprouts.  The resoaked ones can be set to sprout separately again (or) can just be eaten as is (or) can be used in cooking 
• Instant Pot only makes it easier to make the sprouts, but not essential.  A well-closed vessel can be kept in a warm but dark place (like in an oven) and get similar results

Pictures: 

Green Gram

Methi Seeds

 

Final Outcome:

                      Green Gram

                      Methi Seeds