Bean sprouts
もやし もやし moyashi
Also known asmoyashi
No peak season recorded
When it is at its best
In seasonAvailable
How to cook
Namul
Boiled and dressed with sesame oil and salt. Cooling them quickly keeps the texture.
Stir-fried
Cooked briefly over high heat; the point is to keep them from going watery.
On ramen
Blanched quickly and laid on the noodles, keeping their crispness.
Miso soup
Added at the very end, without long simmering.
How to choose
Thick white stems with roots not browned. They should look translucent and unbroken.
Storage
They spoil quickly. Refrigerate in the bag and use the same or the next day. Standing them in water extends this.
Main areas
Good to know
Mung bean sprouts are the most widely sold; soybean sprouts go into Korean cooking, and black gram sprouts are preferred in Kansai. Germinated in darkened factories, they are unaffected by weather and are one of the few vegetables whose price stays steady all year.
