Mung bean sprouts are a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. They can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted beans in the shade until the hypocotyls grow long. Mung bean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

and are very easy to grow, requiring minimal care other than a steady supply of water. They are often used in school science projects.

Cultivation

A variety of techniques are used for sprouting mung beans. A common technique for home growers is sprouting the beans in a jar, with a fine mesh or muslin cloth tied over the top with a rubber band or string. Fresh water is then poured into the jar three to four times a day; the jars are then upturned and left to drain. The precise growing technique to use depends on the amount that one wants to collect. The main principles are: selecting good seed (new and uniform), ensuring that light reaches the seeds, and also ensuring they receive enough humidity while avoiding waterlogging. Sprouting mung beans in a jar.jpg, Sprouting mung beans in a jar

Culinary use

Mung bean sprouts can be microwaved or stir fried. They may also be used as an ingredient, e.g., for

spring roll Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in Chinese and other Southeast Asian cuisines. The kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending o ...

China

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...

, common dishes that may use mung bean sprouts, known as ''dòuyá'' (), are

fried rice Fried rice is a dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or a frying pan and is usually mixed with other ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat. It is often eaten by itself or as an accompaniment to another dish. ...

s, egg drop soup, and

hot and sour soup Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as ''hulatang'' or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤). North America Un ...

. In Cantonese cuisine, bean sprouts are used dishes such as egg fu yung and

beef chow fun Beef chow fun, also known as gōn cháau ngàuh hó or gānchǎo níuhé in Chinese (乾炒牛河) meaning "dry fried beef Shahe noodles", is a staple Cantonese dish, made from stir-frying beef, ''hor fun'' (wide rice noodles) and bean sprout ...

. Stir-fried Turnip Cake and Bean Sprouts (5204781988).jpg, Stir-fried

turnip cake Turnip cake is a Chinese dim sum dish. The less commonly used radish cake is a more accurate name, as Western-style turnips are not used in the dish but rather shredded radish (typically Chinese radish) and plain rice flour. It is traditional ...

and mung bean sprouts

India

Indian cuisine Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, he ...

, especially in

Maharashtrian cuisine Maharashtrian or Marathi cuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has distinctive attributes, while sharing much with other Indian cuisines. Traditionally, Maharashtrians have considered their food to ...

, ''

Usal Usal or Oosal ( mr, ऊसळ) is a Maharastrian dish made of legumes such as peas, lentils, black eyed beans, Matki, Moong or Hyacinth beans. Generally the beans are soaked in water and allowed to sprout for a day or two. The sprouted beans ...

'' is a spicy dish that balances the heat of curry with either mung beans or sprouts. Moong usal misal pav.jpg, Spicy curry with sev and mung beans

Japan

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and oth ...

, ''moyashi'' (, "bean sprout") in a strict sense refers to the mung bean sprout. They are a common ingredient in many Japanese dishes such as stir-fries and soups. File:Ramen Jump 001.jpg, ''

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle di ...

'' with mung bean sprout topping

Korea

In Korean cuisine, ''sukjunamul'' () refers to both the mung bean sprouts themselves and the ''

namul Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...

'' (seasoned vegetable dish) made from mung bean sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are not as common an ingredient as soybean sprouts in Korean cuisine, but they are used in

bibimbap Bibimbap * ( , from Korean , literally "mixed rice"), sometimes romanized as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term "bibim" means "mixing" and " bap" refers to cooked rice. ''Bibimbap'' is served as a bowl of warm white ri ...

, in the fillings of

dumplings Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fish ...

and in '' sundae'' (Korean sausage). The name ''sukjunamul'' is a compound of Sukju and ''

'', of which the former derived from the name of Sin Sukju (1417–1475), one of the prominent Joseon scholars. Sin Sukju betrayed his colleagues and favoured the King's uncle as a claimant to the throne. People regarded Sin Sukju's move as unethical and immoral, and so gave his name to mung bean sprouts, which tend to go bad and spoil very easily. File:Korean cuisine-Sukjunamul-01.jpg, ''Sukjunamul'' (seasoned mung bean sprouts) File:Ojingeo sundae (stuffed squid) 2.jpg, ''Ojingeo-sundae'' ( squid '' sundae'' with mung bean sprouts and other ingredients as filling

Nepal

Nepalese cuisine Nepali cuisine comprises a variety of cuisines based upon ethnicity, alluvial soil and climate relating to Nepal's cultural diversity and geography. '' Dal-bhat-tarkari'' ( ne, दाल भात तरकारी) is eaten throughout Nepal ...

, '' kwati'', a soup of nine types of sprouted beans, is especially prepared in a festival of ''

Janai Purnima List of festivals celebrated in Nepal: Main festivals Dashain ''Dashain'' ( ne, दशैं , also ''Baḍādaśhãin'' or ''Bijayā Daśamī'' ne, बिजया दशमी) is the 15-day-long festival and holidays of Nepal. It is the ...

'' which normally falls in the month of August. ''Kwati'' is prepared by frying and mixing onion, garlic, ginger, potatoes, spices and bean sprouts, including mung bean sprouts. A lot of variation exists from house to house but is basically about making the ''kwati''. It is considered to be a nutritious food in Nepal. ''Kwati'' is normally eaten with rice. Sometimes meat (esp. fried goat) is also added to spice up the kwati.

Thailand

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

, mung bean sprouts are usually eaten in soups and stir-fried dishes. In ''

pad thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

'' they are often added to the pan for one quick stir before serving and in soups such as ''

nam ngiao ''Nam ngiao'' ( th, น้ำเงี้ยว, ) or ''nam ngio'' ( th, น้ำงิ้ว, ) is a noodle soup or curry of the cuisine of the Tai Yai people who live in the northeast of Burma, the southwest of Yunnan province, China, and in no ...

'' they are sprinkled on top of the dish.Bean Sprouts - ThaiTable.com
/ref> File:Phat Thai kung Chang Khien street stall.jpg, ''

Pad thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

'' served with mung bean sprouts File:CVK-nam ngiao-955.JPG, ''

Nam ngiao ''Nam ngiao'' ( th, น้ำเงี้ยว, ) or ''nam ngio'' ( th, น้ำงิ้ว, ) is a noodle soup or curry of the cuisine of the Tai Yai people who live in the northeast of Burma, the southwest of Yunnan province, China, and in no ...

'' with mung bean sprouts sprinkled on top

Indonesia

Mung bean sprouts are used widely in Indonesian Cuisine. Mung bean sprouts usually accompany soup dishes such as '' rawon'', '' mie celor'', or '' soto''; mixed in Indonesian vegetable salads such as ''

pecel Pecel (, Javanese:ꦥꦼꦕꦼꦭ꧀) is a traditional Javanese salad with peanut sauce, usually eaten with carbs ( steamed rice, '' lontong'' or '' ketupat''). The simplicity of pecel preparation and its cheap price have contributed to its po ...

'', ''

karedok Karedok ( Aksara Sunda: ) is a raw vegetable salad in peanut sauce from Sundanese region, West Java, Indonesia. It is one of the Sundanese signature dish. It traditionally includes longbeans, cucumbers, bean sprouts, cabbage, legumes, Thai ba ...

'', or ''

gado-gado ''Gado-gado'' ( Indonesian or Betawi) is an Indonesian salad of raw, slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh, and ''lontong'' (rice wrapped in a banana leaf), served with a ...

''; and stir fried like in '' tauge goreng'' File:Tauge Goreng 1.JPG, '' Tauge goreng'' (stir-fried mung bean sprout) File:Karedok in Ubud 1.jpg, ''

Karedok Karedok ( Aksara Sunda: ) is a raw vegetable salad in peanut sauce from Sundanese region, West Java, Indonesia. It is one of the Sundanese signature dish. It traditionally includes longbeans, cucumbers, bean sprouts, cabbage, legumes, Thai ba ...

'' (raw vegetables salad) File:Mie Celor.jpg, '' Mie Celor'' (a soupy noodle dish from Palembang)

Vietnam

File:Phở as served at the Bon Cafe in Vancouver.jpg, ''

Phở Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants ...