Asian Recipes for Cooking Mung Bean Sprouts

Cooking mung bean sprouts is not difficult. They cook quickly and are a great way to add bulk, a delightful crunch, and precious nutrients to the diet. That is why mung bean sprouts feature prominently in Asian recipes. My granny loves to fry them with garlic and chives or dried tofu cubes.

 Mung bean sprouts are incredibly versatile and can enhance the taste of any dish without overpowering it. So go ahead, embrace their versatility and embark on a delicious culinary adventure with these helpful Asian recipes:

Omelets

Fold mung bean sprouts into your omelet for a savory crunchy breakfast.

Bean sprout omelet recipe

Ingredients

3 eggs, 200g bean sprouts, salt and pepper or soy sauce, cooking oil

Directions

1. Beat the eggs, add a little water and season with some salt and pepper. You can use soy sauce as well
2. Heat 2 to 3 tbsp cooking oil in a flat frying pan
3. When the oil starts to smoke, pour in the beaten egg
4. Swirl the egg around to coat the pan a little 
5. When the edges of the egg start to curl, add the bean sprouts spreading them evenly on top of the egg
6. When the omelette looks firm enough, flip it over
7. Fry till golden brown on both sides
8. Serve hot

Omelet with mung bean sprouts and spring onion recipe

This is another method to make an omelette with mung bean sprouts. The sprouts are lightly fried first with excess liquid drained off before mixing in the eggs. The video tutorial provided English ingredients and directions

Pancakes

Mung bean sprout okonomiyaki recipe

Traditional okonomiyaki uses cabbage. Here it is substituted with bean sprouts. Great for people who are concerned about flatulence caused by cabbage. 

Ingredients

• 100g mung bean sprouts
• 50g cake flour
• 75cc dashi stock
• 1 egg
• 20g shredded carrot
• 1 shiitake mushroom, diced or thinly sliced
• 4 thin slices pork belly
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil
• Okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise to coat the top of the pancake
• chopped spring onions, bonito flakes and seaweed powder for garnish

Directions

1. Make the batter by mixing the cake flour, dashi stock and egg in a bowl
2. Add the garlic, mushroom, carrot and mung beans, mix well
3. Heat a frying pan with some cooking oil, pour the batter mix and shape into a pancake
4. Place the

Stir-fries

Mung bean sprouts add a delightful crunch to stir-fries. Do not overcook them to maintain their crunchiness.

Malay style fried eggs with bean sprouts recipe

Ingredients

250g bean sprouts, 3 eggs, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 stalks of spring onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp red chili flakes, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 40ml water

Mung bean sprouts, carrot and onion stir fry recipe

Ingredients

300g mung bean sprouts, 1 small carrot, 1 shallot or small red onion, cooking oil, dash of soy sauce and sesame seed oil

Directions

1. Wash and remove the roots of the mung bean sprouts
2. Peel and julienne the carrot
3. Peel and chop finely the small red onion
4. Heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onion
5. Fry till lightly brown and fragrant
6. Add the carrot and fry till it is slightly soft, add the sprouts
7. Fry everything till soft. 
8. Add soy sauce and sesame seed oil to taste
9. As the sprouts cook, it will release some moisture which should be sufficient for the pan not to be too dry, but if it seems to be drying up and making stirring it a tad difficult, add a splash of soup stock or water.  
10. Serve on steamed rice

Salads

Mix mung bean sprouts with other fresh vegetables, herbs, and a light dressing for a refreshing salad. They pair well with cucumber, carrot, and bell peppers.

Thai bean sprout salad recipe

A light, refreshing salad with a Thai inspired salad dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 packet of mung bean sprouts, 1/2 carrot, 1 stalk coriander, 3 tbsp peanuts
• 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce, 1 tbsp chopped red chili, pinch of salt, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salad oil for the salad dressing

Directions

1. Wash, peel and julienne the carrot or cut into long thin strips
2. Wash the bean sprouts thoroughly and remove any that are not fresh
3. Sprinkle some salt over the carrot strips and sprouts
4. Quickly blanch both in hot water for about 30 seconds
5. Drain, remove and leave aside to cool
6. Crush the peanuts into small bits in a food processor. You can pound them manually using a mortar and pestle or place them in a ziplock bag and crush them using a rolling pin or something hard.
7. Mix the ingredients of the salad dressing in a mixing bowl and add the carrots and sprouts
8. Plate the mixture, sprinkle with crushed peanuts and garnish with the coriander leaves

Sukiyaki salad recipe

Ingredients

• 1 packet of fresh mung bean sprouts, 100g sukiyaki pork (that is, thinly sliced pork), 5 cherry tomatoes, 3 fresh lettuce leaves
• 1/2 tsp cooking wine, 1/2 tsp rice vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt for blanching water
• 2 tbsp red miso paste, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp mirin, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp sesame seed oil, pinch of dijon mustard for the salad dressing

Directions

1. Cut the sukiyaki pork slices into shorter strips
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the blanching mix
3. Add the bean sprouts and cook for about 1 minute. Remove and drain
4. Cook the pork slices making sure to separate each piece of pork and let it cook through (no longer pink)
5. Drain and set aside to cool
6. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half
7. Combine the salad dressing ingredients together
8. Pour the salad dressing over the cooled sprouts and pork slices
9. Arrange the lettuce leaves on the serving plate, place the tomato halves and mixed salad onto the leaves.

Rolls

Add a handful of mung bean sprouts to your homemade spring rolls or summer rolls. They provide a nice contrast in texture alongside other ingredients like shrimp, rice noodles, and fresh herbs.

Beef roll recipe

Ingredients

• 200g thinly sliced beef, 150g mung bean sprouts, 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp cooking wine, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp water for the seasoning

Directions 

1. Thaw the beef slices if they are frozen
2. Prepare a clean surface for rolling the beef slices. It can be a cutting board, a big plate or tray
3. Wash, rinse and drain the mung bean sprouts. Remove the heads and tails (optional)
4. Lay a beef slice out, take a small bunch of sprouts and place them onto the slice
5. Roll the beef slice over the sprouts tightly
6. Repeat until all the slices and sprouts are used up 
7. Heat up a frying pan, add the cooking oil 
8. Gently pan fry the beef rolls
9. Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl
10. When the beef rolls are cooked, add the seasoning mixture
11. Roll the beef rolls in the seasoning mixture to coat
12. When the liquid is sufficiently reduced, the rolls are ready
13. Plate them and sprinkle with some toasted white sesame seeds

Pork roll recipe (air-fryer recipe)

Wrap some bean sprouts and spring onion with a thin piece of pork belly to make some delicious pork rolls.  

Ingredients

• 200g thinly sliced pork, 1 packet of mung bean sprouts, 2 stalks of spring onion
• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 2-4 tablespoons water to thin out the sauce, 2 preserved plum, cut into small bits for the glaze

Directions

1. Wash the bean sprouts and spring onion. Cut the spring onions into shorter sections
2. Count the number of pork belly strips and divide the bean sprouts and spring onions into as many portions (optional)
3. Place a strip of pork belly on the cutting board
4. Place a small amount of bean sprouts and spring onion on one end of the pork strip, wrap into a roll. Make as many as your ingredients allow.
5. Place the rolls into an air fryer or preheated oven and grill for about 10 minutes
6. Combine the water, oyster sauce and plum bits into a glace.
7. Brush the glace all over the rolls and grill for another 5 minutes.

Vietnamese rice paper roll recipe

Mung bean sprouts is indispensable in a Vietnamese rice paper roll, a quintessential Vietnamese starter. So fresh, so appetizing with fresh ingredients. I like this Vietnamese Rice Paper Roll Recipe by RecipeTin Eats.

It teaches a brilliant technique of rolling the bean sprouts and rice vermicelli in a lettuce leaf first. Anyone who had tried to make a roll will know how fiddly the rice vermicelli and bean sprouts can be. The recipe’s peanut dipping sauce looks promisingly yummy. A must-have to balance the raw vegetables.  

Soups

You see mung bean sprouts in Singapore laksa, Hokkien prawn noodle soup, Vietnamese pho soup, Thai rice noodle soup, Japanese ramen and more. They can be added to practically any type of soup. Just wash, clean and drain them for use. Drop a handful into the boiling soup pot and cook for 1 minute before serving.

Mung Bean Sprouts Notes

In Natural Remedies

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mung bean sprouts are considered cooling and detoxifying. It helps dispel summer heat and harmonizes the 5 major organs. As natural remedies, it is commonly given for hangovers, discomfort from the summer heat, lack of appetite, and general lethargy.

People with high blood pressure and coronary heart disease can eat it more frequently, especially during the summer months where high temperatures may add additional stress to the body. People with urinary tract infection or experience burning sensation when urinating can also try juicing mung bean sprouts.

Japanese researchers found that serving chives with mung bean sprouts can help constipation amongst the elderly and children. It is also beneficial for people with conditions caused by deficiencies in Vitamin A, B2 and C. 

How To Choose Bean Sprouts

In the past, bean sprouts were sold loose and by weight. You buy the amount you want. Now, they are sold in pre-weighted packets. If you can, pick those that are dry and the sprouts are white, firm with no unusual smell. Avoid those with brown spots or are limp. 

Most are sold with both heads and roots intact although I have seen sprouts with both removed. These are, as expected, more expensive because removal is manual. I don’t see how any machine can do that yet. 

To prolong their storage time, remove as much moisture as possible, wrap them up in newspapers or kitchen towels, place them in a ziplock bag and into the refrigerator. They do not keep well. Buy and use them up as soon as possible. 

How To Clean Bean Sprouts?

Bean sprouts bruise and oxidise easily. So it is better to handle them as little as possible. But they do need a thorough wash. 

My family prefers to remove the roots of the bean sprouts and keep the heads. As a child, I used to get the bean sprout duty. My granny would lay pieces of old newspapers on the kitchen floor. On top of it sits a mound of bean sprouts, a colander, and me. My task is to remove the roots from the sprouts, place the sprouts into a colander, and the roots onto the newspapers. When all the sprouts are “de-rooted”, granny will wash and drain them for use. The roots and the newspapers are wrapped up and thrown away. I must say, it is quite therapeutic. I felt like I “earned” my dinner. 

The video below resembles how I prepare bean sprouts. 

Removing roots is optional. They are perfectly safe to eat. 

I have seen bean sprout dishes where both heads and roots are removed. They are supposed to look like silver needles and many of the dishes have names such as Sitr-fried Silver Needles with Black Fungus 木耳炒银针 (mu er chao yin zhen).

As bean sprouts are grown in a fairly warm and moist environment, they can sometimes feel a bit slimy. A good wash and rinse is important.