Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish – Kongnamul Muchim
Are you ready for a meal prep recipe that is healthy, delicious, AND super EASY to make every week? Here’s how to make one of the most popular Korean side dishes from my favorite Korean drama, “True Beauty,” Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish – Kongnamul Muchim. It takes less than 15 minutes to make, and I literally have this every week. All you need is a big bowl of hot rice to enjoy with this tasty Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish. We will be making two flavors today, one spicy and one savory; both are super addicting and refreshing!
Bean Sprout Banchan
Bean Sprout Banchan From K-Drama True Beauty
If you have never seen True Beauty before, I HIGHLY recommend it; it is one of my favorite Korean drama and webtoon series! It is a fun and easy show to watch, and I love how they highlight the importance of INNER beauty. The cast is BEAUTIFUL, and I love the dynamic between all the characters! However, the ultimate question is always going to be, are you team Su-ho, or are you team Seojoon? Even though I love both characters, I got to say; I am team Seo-Joon. Comment down below and let me know which team are you on!
In this series so far, I’ve reviewed and made dishes from Let’s Eat, Let’s Eat 2, True Beauty, It’s Ok Not to be Ok, and Itaewon Class, let me know if there are any other k-drama recipes you want me to recreate! Back to Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish, this side dish is super healthy. I have it at least once a week! Personally, the spicy version is my favorite; however, if you never tried Kongnamul Muchim before, I recommend giving both flavors a try.
Ingredients For Kongnamul Muchim
- 1 lb Bean Sprouts cleaned
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
Soybean Classic Flavour
- 1 stalk Green Onion chopped
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tbsp Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce optional
Spicy Flavour
- 1 stalk Green Onion chopped
- 1-2 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2-3 tsp Gochugaru Korean Red pepper Flakes
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce
- ½ tbsp Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds
Preparing Bean Sprouts
I know a lot of people like to pick the tails off of the mung bean to last longer, but since I finish mine usually in 1-2 days and want to save time, I just leave them on. When you get mung bean from the grocery store, you get the FRESHEST possible and always check the expiration date. Mung beans go bad quite fast, so I recommend making it within 1-2 days after getting them.
Spicy & Classic Garlic Seasoning
Today I’m sharing 2 different flavors I love: the spicy version and the classic savory garlic. Both use a base of green onion, minced garlic, sesame oil, sugar, salt, black pepper, and crushed roasted sesame seeds. It’s fragrant, garlicky, and so, so simple. To make the spicy flavor, I add in an extra dash of soy sauce or Fish Sauce, and gochugaru. It has a more umami-packed, spicy bite that goes with literally anything. I put it on top of rice bowls, noodle soups, or just eat it straight out of the fridge.
What To Eat with Bean Sprout Banchan
I love to enjoy my Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish with a side of Korean Spinach Salad, roasted seaweed, and a fried egg on top of a big bowl of hot rice.
I always have many side dishes in the fridge, such as Korean Spinach Salad and Marinated Quail Eggs, to have a healthy and satisfying meal that takes less than 5 minutes to put together. If you like it spicy, you can also add in a little bit of my homemade bibimbap sauce, which I always make in bulk.
How To Make Korean Bean Sprout Banchan
- In a pot, add in 1 tbsp of salt and bring the water to a boil. Add in the bean sprouts, cover, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. After 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a bowl, add 1 chopped green onion, 1 minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, ¼ tsp of sugar, ¼ tsp of Black pepper, ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds, 1 tsp of Salt and optional, 1 tsp of Soy Sauce. Mix well and add in half of the drained bean sprouts, mix and massage together.
- To make the spicy flavor, in a bowl, add 1 chopped green onion, 1-2 minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 2-3 tsp of Gochugaru, ¼ tsp of Sugar, ¼ tsp of Black Pepper, 1 tsp of Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce, and ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds. Mix well and add in the rest of the drained bean sprouts, mix and massage together.
More of my personal favorite Korean Side Dishes FAST and EASY to make at home!
- Korean Steamed Eggs (4 Ingredients, 15 Minutes)
- Braised Quail Eggs – Easy & Addicting!
- Spinach Salad 2 Ways (Sigumchi Namul)
- Marinated Eggs – Mayak Gyeran (EASY!)
Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish – Kongnamul Muchim
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1 lb Bean Sprouts cleaned
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
Soybean Classic Flavour
- 1 stalk Green Onion chopped
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ½ tbsp Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce optional
Spicy Flavour
- 1 stalk Green Onion chopped
- 1-2 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2-3 tsp Gochugaru Korean Red pepper Flakes
- ¼ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce
- ½ tbsp Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- In a pot, add in 1 tbsp of salt and bring the water to a boil. Add in the bean sprouts, cover, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. After 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water.
- In a bowl, add 1 chopped green onion, 1 minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, ¼ tsp of sugar, ¼ tsp of Black pepper, ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds, 1 tsp of Salt and optional, 1 tsp of Soy Sauce. Mix well and add in half of the drained bean sprouts, mix and massage together.
- To make the spicy flavor, in a bowl, add 1 chopped green onion, 1-2 minced garlic, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, 2-3 tsp of Gochugaru, ¼ tsp of Sugar, ¼ tsp of Black Pepper, 1 tsp of Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce, and ½ tbsp of Crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds. Mix well and add in the rest of the drained bean sprouts, mix and massage together.
So easy and so tasty! I just bought sprouts over the weekend and saw your recipe and I was like, I love that side dish when I eat at Korean restaurants! I made it with 3/4 tsp of salt in the sauce, but will have to lower it a bit more in my next batch as my doc put me on low sodium. This will definitely be a keeper recipe.
Excellent
Oh my goodness gracious!! So good! I
When you say “add 1 garlic” do you mean one clove or one whole ass garlic?
Hi Brooke, one clove is fine!
Tiffy
No lie was going to add a whole garlic if I didn’t read this first 🤣