Product information

Everything about taugé

What every professional kitchen needs to know about bean sprouts: origin, flavour, preparation and storage.

What is taugé?

Bean sprouts (豆芽) — also called mung bean sprouts, in Japan moyashi (もやし), in Vietnam giá đỗ, in Indonesia toge — are germinated mung beans, recognisable by their white, crisp stems and small yellow tips.

The sprouts are rich in water and have a neutral, lightly nutty flavour. They are eaten raw, briefly blanched or stir-fried, always preserving their characteristic crunch.

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Origin & tradition

Mung beans originate from India and Southeast Asia, but sprouting beans as food is an Asian tradition thousands of years old. China, Vietnam and Indonesia are the largest producers of bean sprouts for the export market.

In Vietnamese cuisine, bean sprouts are obligatory alongside pho, fresh and raw as an accompaniment. In Indonesian and Malaysian cuisines they appear in bakmi and nasi.

Flavour & texture

The flavour is mild and lightly nutty, almost neutral. The texture is the distinguishing feature: crisp and juicy at the same time. Overcooking makes the sprouts limp and watery.

In Thai cuisine, bean sprouts (thua ngok, ถั่วงอก) are one of the four classic ingredients of pad thai and are also used in kuay teow (rice noodle soup). In Vietnamese cuisine, giá đỗ is indispensable in pho — added raw at the table — and in bún bò Huế. In Indonesian cuisine, toge is standard in gado-gado, mi goreng and nasi goreng. In Japanese cuisine (moyashi) it is an indispensable ramen topping. In Korean cuisine, kongnamul banchan is one of the most widely eaten side dishes.

Kitchen applications

Pad thai (Thailand) — bean sprouts are one of the four mandatory ingredients
Vietnamese pho — added raw at the table, standard accompaniment
Indonesian gado-gado, mi goreng and nasi goreng
Japanese ramen topping (moyashi) — in tonkotsu, shoyu and miso ramen
Korean kongnamul banchan — seasoned soybean sprouts as banchan
Chinese chow mein and stir-fried noodles as a textural component

Storage & freshness

Store bean sprouts in cold water in the refrigerator at 2 to 4°C, or kept cool and moist. Quality is highest when freshly delivered.

Use within 1 to 2 days. Browning and sliminess are signs that the sprouts are no longer usable.

Professional kitchen tip

Rinse bean sprouts in cold water just before use. Remove any brown or limp ones; a small number of bad sprouts spreads its odour quickly.

Always add bean sprouts last to the wok so the crunch is preserved.

Fresh Taugé delivered daily to your kitchen

Choina delivers fresh Asian produce every morning to restaurants and wholesalers across the Netherlands and Belgium — Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp and Brussels. No minimum order.

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