Mung bean sprouts

Mung bean sprouts are mung beans (Vigna radiata) germinated in the dark. The traditional method was to soak the beans for a couple of days, spread them out under a cover and sprinkle them with water twice a day until they sprouted.

A Yuan-dynasty Chinese household compendium describes a sprout dish called douyacai that was prepared much as Koreans prepare it, and the dish probably reached Korea during the Goryeo period, when contact with the Yuan court was close. In Joseon times, seasoned mung bean sprouts were a special-occasion dish served at birthday breakfasts and first-birthday celebrations; today they are an everyday banchan.

The Korean name sukju is often linked to a popular story about Sin Suk-ju, a fifteenth-century scholar-official who sided with King Sejo against the deposed boy-king Danjong; in the tale, resentful commoners named the sprout after him. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture treats this as folklore: it is passed down in popular tradition, but there is little historical evidence for it.

Like soybean sprouts, mung bean sprouts are grown indoors and sold year-round. In Korean cooking they are usually blanched, squeezed and dressed simply with sesame oil and salt as namul.

• Light: Mung bean sprouts are very low in calories and fat.
• Vitamins: They are a source of vitamin C, folate and vitamin K.
• Food safety: Raw and lightly cooked sprouts, including mung bean sprouts, have been linked to outbreaks of Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli. Health authorities advise cooking sprouts thoroughly, until steaming hot, rather than relying on rinsing. Children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems should avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts.
• Freshness: Because they spoil quickly, buy them fresh, keep them refrigerated and use them promptly.