Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts are the young shoots of germinated legume seeds, most commonly mung beans, harvested within days of sprouting while the shoot is still pale, crisp and only a few inches long. They are a staple ingredient across East and Southeast Asian cooking, eaten raw in salads and spring rolls or briefly cooked in stir-fries, noodle dishes such as pad thai, and soups, where their crunchy texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor contrast with more strongly seasoned components. Soybean sprouts, grown from whole soybeans rather than mung beans, are a related but distinct product especially prominent in Korean cooking.