How To Sprout Chia Seeds

Chia seed is a deservedly popular part of the Rainforest Foods range. It is startlingly nutritious and very easy to use in a wide variety of ways. We bake with it, add it to smoothies, put it on breakfast cereals and porridge and eat it as a gelatinous drink prior to exercise. Chia seed is a staple in the Rainforest Foods kitchen because it is so very accessible. A little research reveals that Chia seed is also very popular when sprouted. A large number of websites and blogs describe how to cultivate a ‘Chia pet’. This is a terracotta figurine on which Chia seeds are spread when moistened. They stick to the surface and, if kept moist, will sprout to produce an amusing crop of green ‘hair’. At Rainforest Foods we think with our stomachs, so our focus when considering the sprouting of Chia is its culinary purpose. Seeds contain the nutrition required to bring a plant to life, to get it to the point where solar energy can bring it forward through its growth cycle. The theory behind sprouting is simple: chemical processes initiated when a seed is moistened cause the nutrition within the seed to develop. It is believed that during sprouting, seeds can increase the quality of their proteins and increase their dietary fibre, essential fatty acid, vitamin and mineral content. The trick is to consume the sprout before its nutrients are used to create an actual plant. Rather than add a Chia pet to the Rainforest Foods kitchen, we decided to simply sprout some seeds and find a way to use the result in our cookery. Many people employ a purpose-made sprouter, in which the ideal conditions for sprouting are created. Not having one of these, we pressed a plate into service, spread it with several layers of kitchen paper, sprinkled Rainforest Foods Chia seeds on the top and sprayed with plenty water. For the first couple of days we kept the plate, covered by a clear Pyrex oven dish, in a dark but reasonably warm cupboard. We made sure the paper never dried out. Once tiny sprouts appeared, we moved our homespun sprouter into the light. After about three more days we removed the ‘lid’, to stop any mould developing. Regular misting with a water spray kept the paper wet, and after about a week we judged our sprouts ready to eat. In both appearance and taste, Chia sprouts rather resemble Cress. They are easy to harvest with a pair of scissors. We will come up with more inventive uses for them in the future, but this time enjoyed adding them to sandwiches and – in one successful meal – couscous and goat’s cheese. The clean, slightly peppery taste of the Chia went well with the creamy texture of the cheese. What we also appreciated was the plentiful supply of Omega-3 and 6 fatty acids we were adding to our meal, as well as Vitamin A, a spread of B vitamins, Vitamin E, Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorous and Zinc. Chia sprouts are worth the week-long wait.