Bean sprouts, such as mung bean and soybean sprouts, are a versatile ingredient in many dishes. Mung bean sprouts are the most common type, and they can be eaten raw, dipped in hot pot, boiled, cooked in soup, or stir-fried. A popular dish is stir-fried bean sprouts, often combined with other ingredients such as pork, beef, or chicken gizzards to create a savory dish with both vegetables and meat.
A common issue many people face when stir-frying bean sprouts is that they tend to release a lot of water, becoming mushy and unappetizing. This usually happens when the sprouts are directly put into the pan for stir-frying.
Selecting Bean Sprouts
To ensure a delicious stir-fried bean sprout dish, it’s essential to start with the right choice of sprouts. You need to know how to choose bean sprouts that are fresh and free from growth enhancers.
Bean sprouts treated with chemicals tend to look plump and attractive, but they are brittle and easily break. On the other hand, organically grown sprouts are thinner but stronger and less likely to break.
To maintain the crispness and sweetness of the bean sprouts during stir-frying, it’s crucial to select fresh sprouts that haven’t been treated with chemicals.
Chemically enhanced sprouts are often short and rootless. The chemicals cause all parts of the sprout to absorb water, inhibiting root growth. In contrast, untreated sprouts have longer roots to absorb water and support the growing sprout.
Fresh sprouts will have opened leaves, or you may see yellow or green sprouting leaves from the outside. In contrast, chemically treated sprouts usually have two closed seed leaves.
Tips for Stir-Frying Bean Sprouts
First, you need to pick and rinse the bean sprouts gently. You can trim the long roots, but be careful not to damage the delicate sprout shells. After rinsing, place the sprouts in a colander and ensure they are thoroughly drained.
Meanwhile, you can prepare and marinate other ingredients, such as meat, to be stir-fried with the sprouts.
To enhance the flavor of your dish, it’s recommended to have some minced garlic, chopped onions, and chopped scallions ready.
Typically, people would heat up the pan and start stir-frying the bean sprouts immediately after preparing the ingredients. However, this is what leads to the sprouts becoming mushy and releasing too much water.
Before stir-frying the bean sprouts, it’s essential to blanch them in boiling water for a few seconds.
To maintain the crispness and sweetness of the sprouts, you should add an extra step of blanching them in boiling water. Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt. Once the water boils, put the sprouts in and stir for 5-7 seconds before removing them immediately. Then, soak the sprouts in cold water to cool them down, and drain them again.
After blanching, you can proceed to stir-fry the sprouts. If you’re cooking them with meat, stir-fry the meat until it’s almost done and then add the sprouts. Since sprouts cook quickly, you don’t need to stir-fry them for long. Season to taste, add the chopped scallions, and give it a final stir before turning off the heat. Serve the stir-fried bean sprouts hot.
With these tips, you’ll never have to worry about mushy, watery bean sprouts again.
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