Kongnamul-muchim, Seasoned Soybean Sprouts
Kongnamul-muchim is one of the everyday banchan that anchors a Korean table, seasoned soybean sprouts served in a small dish alongside everything else. Soybean sprouts are nuttier and crunchier than mung bean sprouts, with the yellow bean still on the tail, and they carry one rule: cook them covered from start to finish. Lifting the lid partway traps the raw, beany smell, so the pot stays shut for the full five minutes. Here the usual pinch of salt is left out, and the reserved starchy cooking water carries the garlic, gochugaru, and sesame into the sprouts instead.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Soybean sprouts
- 2 pieces Scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 clove Garlic, grated
- 1 tsp Gochugaru
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
Method
- Rinse the sprouts and pick off any loose husks. Bring 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to a boil in a pot, add the sprouts, cover, and cook 5 minutes without lifting the lid once. Soybean sprouts smell raw and beany if they are half-cooked, and opening the lid partway through is exactly what traps that smell, so the pot stays shut start to finish.
- Drain the sprouts, saving 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the cooking water, and spread them out to cool. Cooling stops them from going soft, and the saved water becomes the only liquid seasoning.
- Toss the warm sprouts with the garlic, gochugaru, scallion, sesame, and the reserved cooking water. That starchy blanching water carries the seasoning into the sprouts in place of the usual pinch of salt.
- Serve warm or chilled. It keeps three days refrigerated and is good straight from the fridge.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 70 calories, 6 g protein, 3 g fiber, 25 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
