Salads are a critical part of my lunchtime diet. They are quick to make, and during the peak of the growing season they consist mostly of items from my own garden. But once the last of my late-season lettuce, spinach, and kale are gone from my fridge, salads are almost completely off my mealtime list. I opt for a grain bowl with a farro or wheatberry base and things like beans, roasted broccoli, mung beans, cubed sweet potatoes, homemade veggie broth—ingredients that fulfill a wintertime yearning for warmth and savory sustenance.

As winter turns to spring, I start to crave something fresh on these grain bowls. That’s when I start some indoor veggie gardening and reach for my jar of mung beans. Mung beans are hard, dry beans that will easily turn into snaps of crunch with a pea-like flavor if taken through the sprouting process. When sprouted, the root extends about ¼ to ½ inch beyond the swollen but crunchy bean. They’re perfect for salads and can be added to home-cooked Asian dishes.

How to Sprout Mung Beans

Sprouting mung beans is easy and takes just a few days. The secrets to the process are moisture and darkness. Here’s how to do it:

1. Place mung beans in a colander and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Use whatever volume you’d like but keep it in mind they will swell and make a lot!
2. Place rinsed beans in a shallow container but big enough to add about three times as much cold water as beans. Soak the beans overnight, or 8-12 hours, preferably in darkness.
3. In the morning drain the soaked beans, rinse with cold water and drain again.
4. Place a moist tea towel or cheesecloth in the rinsed shallow container. Add the soaked beans onto the towel or cloth, and loosely wrap it to cover the beans. Place in a dark place such as a closet.
5. Rinse the beans again in 12 hours. I simply take the bean bundle from the container, place into a colander, unfold the towel, and run under cold water. Then I just return the moistened bundle back into the container and place back into its dark resting spot.
6. Repeat #5 at least one more time, and up to … well, as many times as it takes to get the beans to sprout to your desired length. About ¼ to ½ inch is just about right to my tastes.

Perhaps the best thing about this type of gardening is that no soil is required. When they’ve sprouted to your satisfaction, place mung beans in a quart glass jar and keep them in the fridge. These should keep for 2-3 days. As with anything, if you see or sniff anything unusual, be wary of eating.