There is always something sprouting in Aai’s (mom) kitchen. She does this as part of her culinary rhythms and routines. These rhythms, guided by her food culture and heritage, have been handed down to her over generations. A sprouted lentil or bean curry (usal) made an appearance in our school lunches or dinners at least once a week. This food heritage is so vital to our ecosystem as it is rooted in produce and grains that are easily accessible and known by the local population for decades and sometimes centuries.

I realized that this how-to guide needs to be a post on its own because there are several steps in the process, all simple but still spread over 2-3 days.

I am not as diligent as Aai in making my sprouts but do tend to make them fairly regularly. I crave the taste and smell of usal (sprouted lentils curry) and eat it over 2-3 days. Day 1 is usal and hot rotis; day 2 is usal in a bowl with chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and topped with something crunchy like crushed chips or bhujia; and day 3 is finishing the leftovers with plain rice and a dollop of ghee.

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Step by Step

1. Pick all the dried lentils and beans that you want to sprout for stones or chaff.
2. Rinse them carefully under running water.
3. Soak them overnight in plenty of water.
4. Drain them on a cheesecloth the next morning (or after 8-10 hours) and place in a covered bowl for 24-48 hours depending on the warmth in your kitchen.
5. Pick a warm spot in the kitchen instead of a cool one.

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6. Check the sprouts after 24 and 48 hours.
7. There are different opinions on the length of the sprout that is most beneficial for health.
8. I tend to let them sprout till they are 1/2-1″ in length.
9. Sometimes, since I live in a very dry state, I have to sprinkle some water on the cloth from the outside, especially in peak summers.
10. But mostly, just leaving them in a covered bowl is enough…nature does the rest.

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Some Tips

Always use whole lentils for sprouting. The split ones will not sprout.

You can sprout single lentils separately and use them singly. I have gotten into the habit of making mixed sprouts because one daughter did not like mung and my husband did not like the black eyed peas. When I mixed all, they had a hard time complaining.

Aai sprouts them singly and rotates over the weeks. One week she sprouts mung and the next it could be red lentils or matki (dew bean), etc.

I reserve one cheesecloth specifically for wrapping sprouts as it gets dyed to a light brown with the natural colors released by the lentils.

You can freeze a portion of sprouted lentils if desired as these freeze well. Place in a ziploc bag and pop into the freezer. It keeps for 1-2 months.

The sprouted lentils and beans can now be used raw or steamed in salads and can be cooked into a curried gravy.