Soaking and Sprouting – Planning my Weekly Menu

Soaking and Sprouting – Planning my Weekly Menu by DK on Feb 20, 2017

A small section of my kitchen is dedicated to soaking and/or sprouting whole foods. Once prepared, these go into my fridge and help me make wholesome recipe choices throughout the week.

What am I soaking here?

Cashews, Almonds, Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Horsegram, Barley, Farro, Kamut, Buckwheat Groats, Black Chickpeas, Brown Chickpeas and Fava Beans.

Why do I soak?

Nuts, seeds, legumes and grains, in short whole foods, are nutritional powerhouses. In order to capitalize on the benefits, they need to be soaked and/or sprouted. Sprouting in fact enhances the nutrition even more. Here is a short list of the benefits of soaking and sprouting.

Remove anti-nutrients like phytates, tannins and goitrogens. These natural toxins protect the foods, not allowing our bodies to completely absorb their nutritional profile.
Help neutralise enzyme inhibitors. These enzyme inhibitors could have harmful health effects, for example indigestion.
Increase the potency of nutrients such as Vitamin B
Make proteins more readily available
Eradicate toxins contained in the colon and encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria like lactobacilli which we know is vital for intestinal and colon health
Promote the growth of healthy enzymes vital for healthy digestion

If the above is not enough to convince you, they also save a lot of time during the week when prepared in a large batch.

Once soaked, how do you use them?

Depending on the Menu, I vary the sprouting process.

Soaked Wholegrain: Pressure cooked in minimal water (takes just 10 minutes in an Indian pressure cooker) and cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. I have found them to last up to 10 days.
Uses: Burgers, pulao, soups, casseroles, sundal and in wraps/burritos.

Soaked Legumes: Cooked and stored the same way as whole grains. I have found them to last 1 week to 10 days.
Uses: Use them same way as regular legumes in recipes.

Sprouted Lentils: These store for a week in the fridge (although my sprouted Urad dal is still going strong on day 11!!). I cook them before using.
Uses: Dals, kootus, in pulaos etc. Also, raw in salads although in very minimal quantities since its hard on digestion without cooking.

Sprouted Nuts/Seeds: Once sprouted, dry them slightly and store them in closed container in the fridge. I prefer to consume within 3-4 days.
Uses: Sprouted seeds and nuts at times get lightly toasted before adding to my salads and/or wraps. Also, grind them into paste/pestos/butters which lasts even longer (around 10-14 days when raw). They also get made into Nut Milk which I substitute for milk in regular recipes.

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I love to hear from you! I read each and every comment, and will get back as soon as I am able to.

8 Comments

By Neha on Oct 3, 2018

Love this idea! I find I end up using greens more when I already have them prepped. I also struggle with ideas on protein for veg for non Indian meals. So this will easily help throw together some salad. Can you start a series of sharing your weekly meal plan? That's the part I struggle with the most-balancing nutrition and time :D

Interesting. Will plan something on those lines soon :) --DK

By DHARAMBIR CHAUDHARY on Jun 28, 2017

but sometime they do not sprout and start giving pungent smell after 3 days , so what tip you can give for that?

By DHARAMBIR CHAUDHARY on Jun 28, 2017

thanks for sharing ! i was looking forward to these tips from sometime!

By soujanya on Apr 17, 2017

Can you let us know in above which are wholegrains,legumes and lentils?

Whole grains:Barley, Farro, Kamut, Buckwheat Groats; Legumes/Lentils: Horsegram, , Black Chickpeas, Brown Chickpeas and Fava Beans. --DK

By Sohan Karkera on Apr 7, 2017

This is very best idea for this summer.Thanks for sharing this

By lakshmi on Mar 24, 2017

Hello, I want to know how to sprout all of them you soaked. Thank you.

Will do a post on those soon. Thank you for reaching out to me :) --DK

By Swniaw on Mar 6, 2017

Hello, I just found your site while looking for recipes using sprouted millet or Ragi. I'm not finding what I wanted. I have unhulled millet that sprouts easily but don't know how to use it in recipes. Do you have any suggestions? I don't want to eat it raw as it is a grain. Thank you.

I would use it the same way as regular millet in recipes. Just cook it like regular, or dry it and make it into flour. Sprouting makes this easier to digest and adds more nutrition. Its not necessary that once you sprout something it has to be eaten raw like every other site insists :). --DK

By vitthalani yashdeep on Feb 26, 2017

nice recipe detailed recipe