Kongnamul-muchim (Seasoned Soybean Sprouts)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Medium pot with tight-fitting lid
• •Colander
• •Medium mixing bowl
• •Tongs or clean hands for tossing

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash the sprouts

   Rinse the soybean sprouts in two changes of cold water, lifting them out so the loose yellow hulls stay behind. Pinch away any brown or tired root ends if they bother you, but do not spend the evening grooming every sprout. Drain well. Clean sprouts cook evenly, and the finished dish tastes cleaner.

2. 2

   Choose the lid

   Put the sprouts, 1 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium pot. Choose one method now: lid on from the start and do not lift it, or lid off the whole time. I use lid on because the sprouts cook evenly in their own trapped heat. What you cannot do is peek halfway.

3. 3

   Boil until crisp

   Set the covered pot over medium-high heat. Once you hear a steady boil, cook 8 minutes without opening the lid. Turn off the heat and let it stand 1 minute, still covered. The sprouts should bend easily, smell nutty and clean, and keep a clear crunch. Raw bean sprouts are not the goal here.

   If you choose the lid-off method, boil the sprouts in the same water for 8 minutes from the first steady boil, turning them once with tongs.
4. 4

   Drain, not rinse

   Drain the sprouts in a colander and shake off the water. Do not rinse them cold unless you are holding them for later. Warm sprouts drink the seasoning better, and that is why this small dish tastes finished instead of watery.

5. 5

   Season by hand

   Move the warm sprouts to a mixing bowl. Add the scallion, minced garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the soup soy sauce if using. Toss gently by hand or with tongs, lifting from the bottom so the sprouts do not break. Taste one sprout. It should be nutty, lightly salty, and still itself.

   The garlic must be minced very fine. A large raw piece takes over the bowl, and kongnamul-muchim is too plain to hide that mistake.
6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the seasoned sprouts sit 5 minutes, then taste again. Add a pinch more salt only if the center of the sprout tastes flat. Fold in the gochugaru if you want the light red version. Serve at room temperature as banchan with rice, soup, and whatever else the table has.

Chef Tips

• •Buy sprouts with pale firm stems, yellow heads, and no sour smell in the bag. If the roots are long but fresh, leave them. If the stems are slimy, cook something else tonight.
• •Soup soy sauce gives a deeper savor than regular soy sauce, but it is salty. Use 1 teaspoon, not a pour. Let it taste like itself.
• •Season each namul in its own bowl before it meets the rice. Spinach, bracken, and soybean sprouts do not want the same amount of salt or sesame oil. Treat them separately and the table tastes clear.
• •손맛 is real. I still measure it, so it can be handed on. After you taste and adjust, write down your final salt amount, because brands and hands differ.

Advance Preparation

• •You can boil and drain the sprouts up to 1 day ahead, then refrigerate them unseasoned in a covered container. Season them 20 minutes before serving so the sesame oil stays fresh.
• •Finished kongnamul-muchim keeps 2 days refrigerated. After that the sprouts soften and release water, so make the amount the table will eat.
• •For packed lunches, season a little more firmly, adding an extra pinch of salt after chilling. Cold food tastes less seasoned than warm food.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)