Uist Wholefoods Co-operative

I have had a packet of soya beans on the shelf for a while, wondering what to do with them. This is one of the recipes that work well. Truth be told, soy beans are not easy: most of the delicious things I have had made from them have been based on tofu. I have a few more to try, however. I began with a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s ‘Eastern Vegetarian Cooking’, a book that I have had for more than twenty years. It is old and scorched, and full of recipes I like.Ingredients:

• Soy beans (from the wholefood co-op)
• Sesame oil (from the wholefood co-op)
• Soy sauce (from the wholefood co-op)
• Sesame seeds (from the wholefood co-op), toasted.
• Stock (from the wholefood co-op) (or water)

Method:

• I started by sprouting the soy beans for several days, rinsing them at least twice a day in fresh water, and keeping them in a cool shaded area of the kitchen. Once the roots were about two inches long, and the beans were beginning to colour green, I put them in the fridge until I was ready.
• Next I simmered the sprouts in stock for about seven minutes, and drained them.
• When they were almost cool, I sprinkled the sprouts with sesame oil and a little soy sauce, and garnished with a teaspoonful of toasted sesame seeds.

Apparently you can add mung bean sprouts for the last couple of minutes of cooking. I served this slightly warm, and it was excellent.