Fermented spicy sprouted lentils
Fermented spicy sprouted lentils
Yields: 500 ml mason jar
Ingredients
Green lentils – 2 cups sprouted (½ cup dry)
2 garlic cloves - sliced in half
2-3 fresh ginger slices
½ tablespoon Korean chili powder
Himalayan pink or sea salt (use formula below for 2% brine)
Non-chlorinated water[i]
Steps
Sprouting lentils
Put lentils in a 1-litre mason jar. Add water, rinse the lentils and drain.
Cover the lentils with fresh water, make sure there is enough room for the lentils to expand.
Use a sprouting lid (I bought mine at a local organic grocer - or use mesh and a sealer ring or elastic) for easy rinsing and draining each day.
Place them in a warm, dark place. Let them soak overnight.
In the morning rinse them. If you have the mesh lid, just fill the jar with water, swirl a few times and tip it over to drain it all out.
Put the jar of strained sprouts back in the warm, dark space. (I lay the jar on its side to spread the sprouts out). Rinse and repeat each evening and morning.
In three to four days of rinsing and repeating bring them out from the dark and let them sit in indirect sun for a day. Watch them green up. They are now ready to eat or ferment.
Steps
Fermenting sprouts
Basic fermenting vegetables formula: vegetable in grams + water in grams x 2% = how much salt in grams
Example: 150 grams of vegetables +200 grams of water = 350 grams.
350 x .020 = 7 grams of salt
Weigh your empty mason jar using a digital scale. Tare it to zero. Put sprouts in mason jar. Fill with non-chlorinated water to cover the sprouts. Weigh it on a digital scale. Use the above formula to determine how much salt to add. Once you have done the math, weigh your salt. Pour the water out of the jar into a glass measuring cup with the salt - stir to dissolve the salt. I like using a Pyrex measuring cup because it is easy to pour. Pour the brine over the vegetables. Leave about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) of headroom at the top of the jar. Add garlic, ginger and chili powder.
Use a weight to make sure the sprouts are submerged. I use an airlock and sealer lid.
Ferment for 5 to 6 days. Remove the weight and airlock. Seal and refrigerate. It can be kept for several weeks. The fermenting will continue, but at a much slower pace in the fridge.
[i] It is important to use non-chlorinated water while fermenting – the chlorine inhibits good bacteria growth which is needed for fermenting.
