How to Sprout Adzuki Beans

Adzuki beans sprout into large shoots with a beautiful maroon color, making them not only a beautiful, but also nutritious and delicious addition to salads, stir fries, sandwiches and more. Adzuki bean sprouts are rich in vitamins E, C, B and A as well as calcium and iron. They contain all of the essential amino acids aside from tryptophan and make an excellent source of protein.

Things You'll Need

• Adzuki beans
• Glass jar
• Fine mesh colander
• Light cloth

Instructions

1. Rinse your beans well under running water and then place them in a wide-mouthed glass jar. Cover the beans with water and soak them until the maroon color of the beans has leached into the water and the beans have turned white. This usually takes about 12 hours.

2. Pour the beans into a fine mesh colander and rinse them thoroughly. Allow the adzuki beans to drain and then transfer them back to the jar. Cover the jar with a piece of lightweight cloth so that the beans can breathe and leave the jar in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

3. Rinse and drain the beans every 8 to 12 hours until they have tails at least 1/4-inch long. Taste your sprouts after each rinse, as texture and flavor changes over time. Feel free to sprout your beans longer than 1/4 of an inch; however, after this length, test your sprout's flavor more often.

4. Give your sprouts a final rinse and then leave them to drain for a few hours. Seal the glass jar and keep your adzuki sprouts in the refrigerator for 3 to 6 weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Grow only as many sprouts as you can eat in about 3 weeks. While adzuki sprouts have the potential to keep for up to 6 weeks under refrigeration, their flavor is best when fresh.

• Adzuki beans usually double during sprouting.