Soybean sprouts

Soybean sprouts are not a separate plant but soybeans (Glycine max) germinated in darkness. Traditionally the beans were placed in a vessel with holes in the bottom, kept out of the light and watered over and over for five or six days, until the shoots were long and the roots well developed.

They have a long history in Korea. The thirteenth-century Goryeo medical text Hyangyak gugeupbang records daeduhwang, sprouted soybeans dried in the sun for medicinal use, and the Joseon-period household manual Sallim gyeongje lists them as duachae together with preparation methods. Because sprouting produces vitamin C that dry beans lack, sprouts were a valued fresh vegetable in winter, when other greens were scarce.

Because they need only beans, water and darkness, sprouts can be grown in any season, and today they are sold year-round.

In the kitchen soybean sprouts are blanched and seasoned as namul, simmered into a clear, refreshing soup, cooked with rice, stir-fried and added to bibimbap. The city of Jeonju is especially associated with them, both in its bibimbap and in its bean-sprout rice dishes.

• Plant protein: Soybean sprouts contain more protein than most vegetables.
• Vitamins: They are a source of folate and vitamin C; sprouting produces vitamin C that dried soybeans do not contain.
• Minerals: They also provide iron, magnesium and potassium.
• Food safety: Raw and lightly cooked sprouts have been linked to outbreaks of foodborne illness, because the warm, humid conditions used to grow them also suit bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli. Health authorities advise cooking sprouts thoroughly, until steaming hot. Children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system should avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts.
• Soy allergy: Soybean sprouts are a soy food and are not suitable for people with a soy allergy.