Stir Fried Bean Sprouts

Stir Fried Bean Sprouts

This is one of the easiest dishes to cook. It is quick and easy and has very few ingredients.  Back when we were young, we would fry the beansprouts with firm bean curd or tofu (or Toukwa).  Sometimes we add spring onions or chives and chilies to give it an extra kick and to add colour to the dish.

I have eaten this dish for as long as I can remember, since I was a kid.

Although it is simple to prepare, it can be time consuming if one decides to remove the ‘tail’ of the sprouts. That is, one picks off the tail, which is the root. It may come across to the uninitiated that this is a rather useless exercise, but it does contribute significantly to the taste and appearance, especially if the beansprouts have long tails. Or, if the sprouts are not very fresh. Picking the tails does take time so I suggest you do it while watching TV or get your children to do it. It is a good occasion to ask for help and get your kids involved in cooking.

This time I am cooking the sprouts with prawns. We normally use raw prawns as it is tastier than cooked prawns as the flavour of the uncooked prawns seeps into the rest of the ingredients and the sauce. I am using cooked prawns as there was a special offer in the supermarket where there was a substantial discount for a pack of two. I used 1 pack for my pasta the night before. So this beansprouts dish will be extra luxurious and delicious.

The recipe follows:

Quick info

Serves:        4 with rice and another meat dish
Difficulty:   Easy
Cost:            £ (if not using prawns)
Time:           10 minutes excluding picking the tails

 Ingredients:

1 pack          Fresh beansprouts ( about 360g or so) –tails removed and rinsed
150 g           Prawns, raw or cooked
2 stalks       Spring onions – sliced into 2 length-wise and cut to 3cm lengths
½                 Small carrot – julienned
2 cloves       Fat garlic – finely chopped
1 Tbsp        Light soy sauce
White pepper powder
Dash of sesame oil
Calorie controlled spray.

Method:

Spray a wok with calorie control spray and heat to medium.

Add in the garlic and stir until it is light brown.

Add the carrots and toss for about 30 seconds.

Add in the prawns. If the prawns are raw, stir until it just turns pink. If you are using cooked prawns, toss to warm up the prawns.

Crank up the heat to high and add in all the beansprouts and give it a good stir.

Add in the soy sauce and keep on moving the sprouts.

Add in the spring onions and toss. Season with pepper powder and a dash of sesame oil.

Once the sprouts have turned lightly translucent and are still firm, switch off the fire and plate up.

All this should take not more that 2-3 minutes.

Best enjoyed on the meal that it is cooked.