Sprouts are becoming more fashionable every day. And it is normal that they are, it is a food easy to digest and of great nutritional value, which also often includes a great contribution of antioxidants.
In fact, germinated seeds have been consumed by humans for practically all of history, but now there is a greater awareness of their beneficial properties and seeds are germinated that were less common to consume this way. In addition, they can be an alternative not only healthy and natural but also very cheap if you learn to make your own sprouts or sprouts at home. In this article we are going to see some types of sprouts and how to make them in your own home.
Types of edible sprouts – the best
These are some of the types of gemstones or buds that can be consumed:
Lentils
Lentils have always been a very nutritious food, but when consumed as seed sprouts, their proteins become more digestive and since they do not need to be cooked, their nutrients are not depleted. Lentils develop very quickly, and it will not take more than 4 or 5 days to have good-sized shoots to consume.
Quinoa
The word quinoa has been echoing everywhere for a long time when it comes to new cuisine or healthy cooking. What not everyone knows is that quinoa can germinate, providing an ideal food to complement your salads and with excellent nutritional properties.
Broccoli
Broccoli sprouts are also very popular. Their characteristic and unique flavor makes them very valuable to complement salads or to give that extra vegetable flavor touch to a wrap or roll. In addition, they are also widely used to give a decorative touch to some dishes.
Soy
It is one of the most classic, but we could not leave it unnamed. Bean sprouts are widely consumed in salads and to add a vegetable contribution to a large number of dishes. Soy sprouts are also an essential ingredient in Chop Suey.
Radish
Radish sprouts have an intense flavor with a spicy touch. They are commonly used in salads and raw vegan dishes, as well as to give a more crisp and interesting texture to practically any dish.
Other types of sprouts
This is a list of other types of sprouts that are also edible and can be found in a variety of hot and cold dishes around the world.
- Alfalfa
- Fenugreek
- Mustard
- Amaranth
- Sesame
- Chickpeas
- Integral rice
- Oatmeal
- Pumpkin
- Wheat
- Garbanzo beans
How to make sprouts step by step
Making your own sprouts at home is very simple. The ideal is to do them with a germinator , they are very cheap to buy and will last a lifetime, but if you don’t want to, you can also do them with homemade germinators as we show you here.
- Prepare a glass jar of a certain width so that it is comfortable for you to work with. Wash it thoroughly using a little vinegar and, once ready, put your seeds to germinate in it. A large tablespoon will be enough most of the time: keep in mind that the seeds multiply their volume several times when they germinate. As you do several batches, you will get the point of the quantities.
- Add at least three times the volume of water as seeds, and let them soak overnight.
- The next morning, remove any floating seeds, as they will not germinate and only serve as a source of unwanted elements. Once the bad seeds have been removed, cover the mouth of the container with a fine mosquito net or some other similar material, always with holes that are finer than the seeds themselves. You can fix it to the mouth of the jar simply with some rubber bands. Once this is done, remove the water.
- Leave the pot running upside down at some point with adequate ventilation and a constant temperature that stays around 20ºC. Also try to keep it protected from light, at least until the seeds begin to germinate.
- At night, leave them in water again, and in the morning rinse them again and put them to drain in their place. In a few days you should have your sprouts ready, although there are sprouts such as garlic, onion and leeks, which can take up to more than a week.
This process can be repeated for practically any type of sprout. We recommend the consumption of the shoots when they have a minimum length of about 2 centimeters , although there are those who prefer to let them grow longer. Once the sprouts have the desired length, store them in the fridge wrapped in absorbent paper, although it should not take more than a week to consume them.
