Indonesian: taoge
Common Name: Bean Sprouts
Botanical Name: Phaseolus aureus
Malaysian: taugeh
Thai: tau ngork
Burma: pepinauk
China: nga choi
Korea: suk ju
Japan: moyashi
Singapore: taugeh
Bean sprouts are now available from most supermarkets and greengrocers, usually in plastic tubs or packets. The texture of the sprouts in tubs is very crunchy and nutty with hardly any stringy rootlet. There is more work involved in preparing the long, straight sprouts that come in cellophane packets for cooking: picking off long, straggly brown ‘tails’. The straighter sprouts are traditional for Asian cuisine. Either form should be used as soon as possible after purchase, although they may be stored for a brief period under refrigeration.
Depending on the methods used for sprouting mung beans, they will be short and curly or long and straight. A commercial sprouting process is responsible for the straight sprouts, and it is not possible to duplicate these conditions under the kitchen sink. Home sprouted seeds are curly. The seed, with its green coat split open but often still clinging, is at one end of the sprout with a small root at the other. When the beans are rinsed many of the seed coats float away, but it is not essential to remove every single one.
The procedure for sprouting is quite simple. First, soak 3 tablespoons of mung beans overnight in water to cover. Drain and put the beans in a large glass jar, at least 3 cups capacity, as the beans will expand to many times their original volume. Cover with a piece of muslin held on with a rubber band and leave in a warm, dark place such as under the sink or in a cupboard. Morning and evening (and a couple of times in between if you can manage it), fill the jar with barely tepid water and pour the water off, and in 5 or 6 days the jar will be filled with fresh, crisp bean sprouts. Transfer to a plastic bag and refrigerate. Use within a week. .jpg "taoge")
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