How to sprout lentils involves water, a jar and dried lentils themselves. It is extremely easy to do and worthwhile for anyone who enjoys sprouts. In this guide I will be demonstrating, with pictures, how you can go about sprouting your own lentils. This method works just as well for brown, red lentils and other varieties.
Sprouted seeds are usually consumed once the seeds germinate and before the leaves appear. They usually look like seeds with tails. This makes them distinct from microgreens or seedlings. Sprouted seeds occur first before seeds become microgreens, seedlings or baby plants.
Sprouted lentils health benefits
There is a reason many people are interested in sprouting lentils. Lentils are rich in vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Unless you sprout lentils, the only other way to eat them is to have them cooked. In other words, sprouting lentils is one way of eating them raw circumventing the need to cook them.
Once sprouted you may enjoy your lentils in salads. They make an excellent and extremely rich nutritional combination when mixed with a variety of microgreens such as lettuce microgreens, sunflower microgreens and even cabbage microgreens.
I will need to mention here that sprouts are prone to spreading illness causing bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, and E. coli. This because of the moist conditions in which they are grown. For this reason, it is extremely important that you maintain the highest levels of hygiene when preparing sprouts. Here is some professional advice on this subject.
What you will need to sprout lentils
Gather the following required items and materials to sprout your lentils.
- dried lentils
- Maison jar
- clean kitchen towel
- elastic band
- water
1. Get a Maison jar
Although I refer to it as a Maison jar in this guide, you can achieve the same thing with an ordinary bottle of the type shown in this image. We need to use a bottle in sprouting the lentils because glass will let light through which is a useful catalyst in the germination process.
2. Soak your lentils
Next, fill the jar about half-way with clean drinking quality water and then soak your lentils. Close the jar with the lid. The lentils must be soaked for some 6 – 8 hours in the clean water. A good rule of thumb if your want to avoid any issue with length of time to required to soak, simply do it overnight.
3. Rinse the lentils after hours of soak
Following the overnight soaking, proceed to rinse twice or thrice the lentils whilst in the jar. This is to remove the soaking water as well as cleaning the lentils.
4. Set the jar with lentils at angle
After the initial rinsing following overnight soaking, take a clean cloth and cover the top of the jar securing it with an elastic band. Now place the jar at an angle with the mouth of the jar facing downward. This will allow any remaining water after the previous and future rising to drain.
The lentils should not be allowed to sit in any water. They should just be left wet from the rising water which is enough to trigger the germination working together with the light. For this reason the glass jar should be left to sit in the light. This could be on the window sill or under artificial light. However, the jar should not be left ion direct sunlight.
5. Rinse & repeat
Repeat the rinsing and draining out about twice per day until the lentils have sprouted. Make sure to set the jar at an angle each time after a rinse.
By day two, you should begin seeing signs of sprouting. By day three or four, the lentils sprouts should be ready for “harvest”.
6. How to store your sprouted lentils
Once you have “harvested” your sprouts, if you are not using them all at once, you may store them in the refrigerator. The fridge will prevent the sprouts from sprouting any further. It is recommended to consume the sprouts sooner rather than later for flavor. You have tops 7 days before the sprouts are no longer suitable for consumption.
Use your sprouted lentils in salads or sandwiches or any how as you wish. Apart from eating them raw, you may also sauté them, of course, without overcooking them as to loose nutritional value.
This is how to sprout lentils in a jar easy. Enjoy your sprouts!
