Mung bean sprout

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 and Southeast Asia and are very easy to grow, requiring minimal care other than a steady supply of water.

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 does not reach the seeds to prevent bitterness, and also ensuring they receive enough humidity while avoiding waterlogging.

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

In Chinese cuisine, common dishes that may use mung bean sprouts, known as dòuyá (豆芽), are fried rice, spring rolls, egg drop soup, and hot and sour soup.

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

In Indian cuisine, especially in Maharashtrian cuisine, usal is a spicy dish that balances the heat of curry with either mung beans or sprouts.

In Japanese cuisine, moyashi (もやし, "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.

In Korean cuisine, sukjunamul (숙주나물) refers to both the mung bean sprouts themselves and the namul (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, in the fillings of dumplings and in sundae (Korean sausage).