Buckwheat Bread - Phaapar ko Roti

Mixed sprouted beans are known as kwaanti, quaanti (क्वाँटी), or biraula (बिरौला) in Nepal and are cooked a number of ways: in soups, in vegetable stir-fries, in salads, or in combination with meats. During the Nepali festival of Janai Purnima or Kwanti Purnima, a delicious stew-like soup is prepared from a colorful array of mixed sprouted beans.  Traditionally, the sprouts are prepared from a combination of nine different types of colorful beans.  This wholesome soup is highly nutritious and usually eaten with steamed rice.  Today, kwaanti soup is cooked regularly in many Nepali households, and one does not have to wait for festival time to enjoy it.  Although this dish can be prepared quickly in a pressure cooker, some cooks believe that the sprouts do not absorb the seasoning during the shorter cooking time.  While cooking kwaanti, there is no need to mash the beans to thicken the soup.  Some sprouts, like mung beans, cook faster than others and by the time the whole dish is cooked, they will become mushy, making the dish just the right texture.


Here is my step-by-step guide to making sprouts and kwaanti soup.  I have provided the full recipe at the end of this post. 

Listed below are the traditional Nepali whole bean combinations used to make kwaanti, but other combinations also may be substituted.
1/2 cup whole green mung beans, with skins (singo moong ko daal - सिंगो मूंग को दाल )
1/2 cup whole black urad beans, with skins (singo maas ko daal - सिंगो मास को दाल )
1/4 cup dried black-eyed peas (bodi - बोडी)
1/4 cup dried whole green or yellow peas (thulo kerau - hariyo-pahelo - ठुलो केराउ  हरियो पहेंलो)
1/4 cup dried soybeans, brown or white (bhatmaas - भटमास)
1/4 cup dried whole brown chickpeas (kaalo chanaa - कालो चना)
2 tablespoons dried whole yellow chickpeas (thulo chanaa - ठुलो चना)
2 tablespoons dried kidney beans (raato bodi - रातो बोडी) 
2 tablespoons dried fava beans (bakullaa - बकुल्ला)
2 tablespoons dried small field peas (saano kerau - सानो केराउ)
makes about 6 to 7 cups

Cleaning the beans: Inspect the beans carefully before soaking and remove any foreign materials such as small stones, weeds, seeds, dried soils, or leaves.  Once sprouted, it is very difficult to pick out and remove these foreign materials.  Certain beans, such whole black urad beans, or Nepali field peas need to be cleaned particularly, as they often contain tiny black stones.

Soaking: Wash, rinse, and drain the bean mixture several times until the water is clear.  Discard anything that floats while washing.  Water is the key ingredient in sprouts and the soaking process is called re-hydration.  The dried beans are soaked in water to bring back their moisture.  As a rule, for each cup of beans, use 4 cups of room temperature water.  I do not recommend hot water for soaking, because it may cause the beans to sour or the outer skins to break.  Very cold water will slow the re-hydration process.  In a large bowl, mix all beans together, add enough room temperature water to cover, and leave them to soak for 10-12 hours at room temperature.  Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly.

Once the beans are soaked, they will swell and double in size.  Discard the soaking water.

Wrap the drained beans in a cheesecloth or muslin cloth and secure it.  Place the bean mixture in a colander or any porous container, as the growing sprouts need ventilation.  Place the colander in a cupboard, pantry, or any dark, warm, humid place, to encourage sprouting.

Check occasionally, and sprinkle with a few drops of water, if needed, to keep the beans moist but not very wet.  By the second day, the beans will start to sprout, given proper moisture.  Remove the beans from the cloth and rinse under running water.  Drain the beans, tie them back in the cheese cloth, and return to the warm place.  Repeat the process twice a day (morning, evening) until they begin to sprout, which may take 2 to 3 days.

The size of the sprouts will vary depending on the combination of beans.  They are ready when the sprouts are about 1/3-inch long.  Do not allow the sprouts to grow too long, as they will become tasteless.  To stop further sprouting, drain completely and store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
When preparing the sprouts for cooking, it is not necessary to remove the outer covering of the beans or pluck off the sprouts.  Some sprouted beans cook faster than other beans (mung beans cook faster than other large legumes, for instance).  When you are cooking the mixed beans, the soft texture beans may become mushy by the time the cooking process is finished, which is normal.
Close-up view of slow simmering.  For variation, you may add ground meat or momo dumplings in the soup.
 . . Now the soup has become stew-like, and is ready to be served!
Pour over a bowl of freshly steamed rice and enjoy.