Kongnamul muchim
One of the simplest and most popular banchan, the small side dishes set out on the Korean table with a meal. It is soybean sprouts briefly cooked covered in a little water, then tossed with sesame oil, garlic, spring onion and toasted sesame. Soybean sprouts are bigger and crunchier than mung bean sprouts, with a nutty flavour and yellow heads. They are not eaten raw — raw, they have an unpleasant beany taste and are hard to digest, and cooking also deals with any bacteria that can grow on sprouts. Ready in under half an hour.
Your own work in that: 5 min.
- Rinsing the sprouts 5 min
- Cooking the sprouts 8 min
- Cooling 10 min
- Seasoning 5 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneRinse the sprouts
Rinse the sprouts in a bowl of cold water and skim off the husks that float up. Pinch off any brown root tips.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Husks float up — skim them off.Cook covered
Put the sprouts in a pan, add the water and half the salt and cover. Set over medium heat and once steam starts escaping from under the lid (after 2–3 minutes), cook 5 minutes more. Do not lift the lid meanwhile — by Korean kitchen wisdom, the sprouts then take on an unpleasant beany smell.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Lid on for 5 minutes.Drain and cool
Drain the sprouts and spread them on a plate to cool quickly, about 10 minutes. Do not rinse them under water — they lose flavour.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Chop the additions
Crush the garlic and slice the spring onion into thin rings.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Season
Toss the sprouts by hand with the sesame oil, garlic, spring onion, the rest of the salt and the sesame seeds, crushing the sesame between your fingers. For a spicier version, add gochugaru.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
By hand — the seasoning reaches every sprout.Taste
Taste and adjust the salt. The sprouts should be crunchy, nutty and lightly salty.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Transfer to a bowl
Spoon the salad into a small bowl.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Serve
Serve at room temperature or chilled, as one of the sides with rice, bibimbap or grilled meat.
Ingredients: 300 g soybean sprouts · 100 ml water · ½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 clove garlic · 1 pcs spring onion · 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds · 1 tsp gochugaru (optional)
Before you start
Where to buy
Soybean sprouts, with big yellow heads, are sold mainly in Asian shops. Note that the “bean sprouts” in ordinary supermarkets are usually mung bean sprouts. They are thinner and more delicate — 1–2 minutes' blanching is enough, then season them the same way (in Korean this is sukju namul).
For bibimbap
Kongnamul muchim is a classic bibimbap component — arrange it on the rice alongside the other vegetables.
Storage
The salad keeps 2–3 days in the fridge in a closed container.
