In the Spotlight - Bean sprouts

I went through a stage while at university where I would eat bean sprouts as part of a salad; I'm not sure what gave me the idea - it wasn't as if I even ate them in a stir-fry very often - but I liked the added crunch they provided. What I didn't know at the time was that bean sprouts are a notorious carrier of Salmonella and E. coli - they were linked to the E. coli outbreak that killed 30 people and left thousands unwell last year in Germany. The warm and humid conditions required for sprouts to grow are also ideal conditions for bacteria to multiply and when they do so the appearance of the sprouts are not altered, so it is difficult to know that they are actually contaminated. Although high temperatures would kill such bacteria, this would prevent the beans from sprouting. As with other food borne infections, it is young children, the elderly and anyone with a weakened immune system who are at most risk; these groups are advised to avoid raw bean sprouts altogether. The advice for the rest of us is to wash them well - ideally a hot rather than cold wash - if we are to eat them raw and even doing so if cooking.

Although not particularly high in vitamins, bean sprouts are still a source of Vitamin C and various B vitamins; as stir-frying is a light cooking method, it allows their content to be conserved. Bean sprouts are a useful source of protein for anyone who avoids animal protein. Like many other vegetables, they are also a good source of fibre.

Bean sprouts are present in most ready-made stir-fry packs, but you can easily make your own mix using whatever combination of vegetables that you wish; so whether you fancy peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, carrots, cabbage, sugar snap peas or green beans, toss them all in. Don't forget about bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, which can also add some interest to a stir-fry.

Stir-fry sauces that you buy tend to be very high in salt, which you can control if you make your own, adjusting the amount you add; don't forget that soy and fish sauce, along with other similar condiments, are also high in salt. Try the following suggestions:
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipes/tag-5622/stir-fry-sauce-recipes.aspx
http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6518
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/stir-fries
http://www.cooksunited.co.uk/rs/s0/stir+fry+sauce/recipes.html