Moyashi Japanese Bean Sprout Salad With Carrot

Check out this yummy fresh and healthy Bean Sprout Salad with Carrot and you’ll instantly fall in love with it. For those who do not know what Moyashi is, it is bean sprouts! You probably have been in this situation before when you know what a food is called in one of the languages you speak but you don’t know what it is in another language you speak?

So, Moyashi is Japanese for bean sprouts, and if you ever asked me out of the blue what moyashi is in English, I wouldn’t know without really thinking about it even though English is my first language. Weird, huh?

Bean sprouts are arguably the best-known sprouted seeds. Who has never eaten a chicken or shrimp soy sprout salad in a Chinese restaurant, or the local Chinese caterer ?

It is green soy (or mung bean) and not yellow soy. Green soybeans are eaten in sprouted seeds but yellow soybeans will instead be used for the manufacture of tofu, silky tofu and vegetable milks.

Soybean sprouted seeds have been part of our landscape for much longer than other sprouted seeds. They have a sweet flavor and an incomparable crunch. Incorporating soy shoots into a salad is a very good option.

In recent years, the consumption of sprouted seeds of all kinds has increased exponentially. Soybean sprouts were the first sprouted seeds to be consumed by a wide audience. In fact, if these bean sprouts are so called, it is an abuse of language because they do not come from soybeans but from mung bean seeds.

It is therefore possible to eat sprouted seeds of mung beans or red beans called Azuki, but be careful sprouted seeds of green beans are not edible. Beans are part of the legume family, their germination is very simple to do yourself with or without a germinator.

Soaking or pre-hardening of bean seeds

Starting from dry seeds of mung beans, round and green, or Azuki beans, you will need to rehydrate them so that they come out of their dormancy period. To do this, you need to immerse them in water long enough for them to swell and the germ will appear. For this type of seeds considered large, compared to lentils of the same legume family, it is necessary to provide for a soaking of 20 to 36 hours. During this pregermination period, water must be changed 1 or 2 times to remove enzyme inhibitors. Once the seeds have gained volume, are more flexible and the germ is about to appear, they must be thoroughly rinsed and drained to germinate.

Germination of bean seeds

For the germination of bean seeds, once the first phase of soaking is carried out and the seeds well rinsed, you must place them in a container on a cotton bed, several layers of paper towels or in your germinator if you are equipped with them. The advantage of the germinator is that you can germinate several stages of seeds on a small space in your kitchen. Sprouted seeds take up a lot of volume as the shoots grow, so do not load the container too much so that they can breathe.

To eliminate growth inhibitors, it is necessary to rinse and drain the shoots 2-3 times a day. If you have a sprout, generously water the tray by passing it under the tap before resting it on its base for draining. If your sprout is automatic, you won’t have to do anything, just wait !

The germination time is 3-6 days, and the shoots can be eaten 1-5 cm depending on your taste. Indeed, if the flavor of the sprouted beans is sweet and discreet, as soon as the first leaves appear their taste becomes a little more bitter but they are then more digestible.

Sprouted bean seeds and seeds in general is one of the healthiest foods you can get your hands on, really.

Sprouted beans are very rich in nutrients: rich in vegetable proteins and healthy fats (especially lecithin for mung beans), they contain many vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E, H, K) as well as a great diversity of mineral salts (iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus).

Mung bean sprouts are known to help regulate insulin, they help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. They are rich in phytoestrogens and therefore beneficial for the health of hair and nails.

Azuki bean sprouts improve digestion, their consumption helps fight constipation and colic. Nevertheless, care must be taken to properly remove red dandruff. In addition, they help regulate blood pressure and are then beneficial against migraines and insomnia. Finally, they help fight respiratory diseases.

You can even make wheat grass juice from sprouted wheat too.

The benefits of sprouted mung bean seeds

(you can use azuki red beans or mung beans for this recipe, I guess any other type of beans are fine too if you don’t have these available)

Mung bean or green amber also known as green soy is an annual plant of the Fabaceae family (Papilionaceae) native to the Indian subcontinent and cultivated as a vegetable plant for its seeds consumed as a vegetable like the common bean. It is a common food ingredient in Asia, used cooked or raw, especially in the sprouted form called “sprouted beans” or, erroneously, “soy sprouts “or”bean sprouts”. True soy is a completely different species belonging to the genus Glycine. The consumption of real soybeans in sprouted form remains much less widespread.

“Mung bean sprouts” are filled with fiber and are practically fat-free, which is why they represent a satiating and healthy option in your diet.

Mung bean sprouts are very common, but Asians (East Asia) especially like to integrate them into many dishes (woks for example) – and for good reason: among the benefits of sprouts we can mention the improvement of eye health, bone health, immune system and much more.

So, what are the health benefits of mung bean sprouts

1. Reduce anxiety caused by stress

Fourteen studies have been conducted on various vitamins and minerals, to determine whether they can help reduce stress, anxiety and even depression in women. The research, compiled by the Joanna Briggs Institute at the University of Adelaide in Australia, shows that vitamin C is effective in reducing anxiety in response to the stress women may experience.

About 60 percent of women are likely to suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives, and this of course also affects men. Being deficient in vitamin C can cause problems with the production of important neurotransmitters in the brain that have a direct effect on mood and sleep. Making sure you have a lot of vitamin C can not only prevent colds, but it can also help you calm down and recover more, which is why it can be useful to eat foods rich in vitamin C like mung bean sprouts.

Other evidence confirms the anti-stress potential of mung bean shoots. The bioflavonoids present help protect against stress. in addition, research published in Food & Function found that the consumption of mung bean sprouts increased levels of melatonin in rats (the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and improves mood).

2. Keeps your eyes in good shape

Since mung bean sprouts contain folate, it is possible that these sprouts can offer an aid for the health of your eyes. A clinical trial published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (a reference) was conducted with the aim of reporting information about age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and how it can be minimized with folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in your diet.

AMD is a common eye condition in people aged 50 and over. This is damage to the macula, which is a small spot near the center of the retina that gives us an acute view of the objects directly in front of us. Thanks to daily supplementation of folic acid, B6 and B12, the study shows that AMD can be greatly reduced.

3. Promotes stronger immune system

Vitamin C and iron play a role in promoting immune system. Iron helps our cells stay strong and infection-free. Studies have been conducted showing the importance of iron because of its ability to help eliminate harmful pathogens.

4. Reducing the risk of coronary heart disease

According to a report published by the American Society for Nutrition, vitamin K may help reduce the onset of heart disease. Vitamin K is necessary for the process of blood clotting, helping to inhibit the accumulation of calcium in blood vessels. This can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study indicates that calcification of the coronary arteries (CAC) is a symptom of cardiovascular disease. However, vitamin K can help minimize its progression. There was a 6 percent decrease in CAC among participants.

5. Building strong bones

Studies show that up to 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men over the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis at some point in their lives. Manganese found in mung bean shoots is beneficial for building strong bones. Manganese, combined with calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and copper, helped to improve the bone mass of women, reducing the risk of osteoporosis.

Nutritional value of bean sprouts (mung beans)

• Per 100 g mung beans mung beans, cooked or raw
• Calories 105 kcals 30 kcals
• Carbohydrates 18.3 g 6 g
• Dietary fiber 6.4 g 1.8 g
• Protein 7.5 g 3 g
• Fat 0.5 g 0.2 g
• Iron 1.8 mg 0.9 mg
• Potassium 231 mg 149 mg
• Magnesium 63 mg 21 mg
• Dietary Folates 94 µg 61 µg

So, you see that eating sprouts and making bean sprouts salad at home is a great way to keep a healthy diet and get your daily dose of nutrients with completely natural food.

How to make mung bean sprouts at home

Mung bean sprouts, also called sukjunamul in Korea, is made from Green corked beans, while soybean germ is made from yellow, wider grain soybeans. The germ of the mung bean is crispy with a nutty taste and is often used in French fries as well as raw in salads and sandwiches.

– Take the required amount of beans. I usually take 1 cup of mung beans. Remember, it will double, once sprouted. So, prepare only the amount that you can consume within 2 weeks.

– Wash the bean seeds in cold water until the water is clear. Drain and place in a bowl or sprout if you own one. Fill it with cold water until completely immersed. (2-3 times more than seeds).

– Soak overnight or at least for 8-12 hours.

– Drain the water from the well. Rinse again with cold water and drain again.

– Use a bamboo basket or an ordinary sprouting pot with light fabric to cover in order to have a drainage system, in case of excess water, it drains through these holes in the steam basket.

– Place the basket in dim light and at room temperature. Just place it where there is no direct sunlight, such as in a dark place in your kitchen counter space or whatever.

How long to grow your sprouted seeds ?

– If you just simply want very small shoots, for roots less than 1 cm then rinse and drain every 8-12 hours, ready in 2 – 3 days.

– If you want to develop mung sprouts large enough, with roots of about 7 cm, rinse and drain every 8-12 hours for 4-5 days.

Note that you will not necessarily have the same result as in stores and Asian restaurants (roots much thicker ) since commercial mung beans are grown with chemicals and gases in huge machines. You’ll never get your home-grown mung bean sprouted seeds resembling the ones you see in a restaurant or supermarket, but you can get thick roots. To do this, you will need a special sprout that drains from the bottom, this will be the next step .

Bean sprouts are also great on sandwiches too, especially if you use healthy paleo homemade bread with delicious homemade mayonnaise and easy yummy homemade ketchup.

Anyway, this healthy vegan bean sprout salad is super tasty when served chilled, and is healthy, too!

Japanese Bean Sprout Salad (Moyashi) with Carrots

Enjoy!

If you like carrots like I do you may also like to try making a healthy homemade carrot ice cream too.

Have you made bean sprout salad at home before? Let me know in the comments below.