Bean sprouts are a vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. Firstly, the beans are washed. Then they are placed in a container with holes (for water to drip through) which has been lined with a cheese cloth. The container is then placed in a dark place. An important step in sprouting the beans is to water them daily till the roots grow out.
Bean sprouts is a popular vegetable in our region. They can be stir-fried to be served with rice, deep-fried into fritters, added to fried noodles (white flat noodles, bihun or yellow mee) or added noodle soup. They can also be used in salads. In stir-frying, bean sprouts are usually fried with tau kwa and tofu puffs. In some cases, chives are added to them. The dish is then sprinkled with bits of deep-fried salted fish. Bean sprouts are usually served with chicken rice. In this case, the bean sprouts are blanched and drizzled with fried shallot oil and sprinkled with fried shallots and green onion. I usually like to stir-fry bean sprouts with deep fried tau kwa, tofu puffs, Shiitake mushrooms and tri-colour peppers. These ingredients add sweetness and colour to the dish.
Whichever way they are used in, bean sprouts, according to WebMD, are an excellent source of antioxidants which protect against cell damage and may reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease.
Ingredients:
- 350 g bean sprouts
- 2 pieces of tau kwa, sliced and deep fried
- 1 piece of Shiitake mushroom, soaked and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 pieces of tofu puffs, soaked and sliced
- 1/3 red capsicum, sliced lengthwise
- 1/3 green capsicum, sliced lengthwise
- 1/3 yellow capsicum, sliced lengthwise
- 5 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
Method:
- Heat up kuali with cooking oil.
- Fry the sliced tau kwa till they are golden brown.
- Dish up the tau kwa and set them aside.
- Add Shiitake mushroom slices to the kuali.
- Fry till the mushrooms are fragrant.
- Add chopped garlic to the kuali and continue to fry till they are fragrant.
- Add bean sprouts and tofu puffs to the kuali.
- Fry till the bean sprouts are half cooked and the tofu puffs are soft. (Add some water if necessary.)
- Add the capsicum.
- Fry till the bean sprouts are cooked while the capsicum are half-cooked and are still crunchy.
- Return the tau kwa to the kuali.
- Add salt and soy sauce to the kuali.
- Give the ingredients a quick stir.
- Dish them onto a serving plate.