Kongnamul-muchim is one of the most common Korean side dishes, and it’s included in almost every meal. It’s very popular among Koreans, and they never seem to get tired of it. It’s very economical and also good for you.
The soybean sprouts used in this video were grown at home, but you can also buy a package of soybean sprouts at a Korean grocery store.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of soybean sprouts, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon of Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (or soup soy sauce, or salt)
- 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds,
- 2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
Directions
- Place soybean sprouts in a pot. Add the salt and ½ cup of water and cover. Bring to a boil over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Drain.
- Put the cooked soybean sprouts in a mixing bowl. Add garlic, hot pepper flakes, green onion, fish sauce, sesame seeds, and toasted sesame oil and mix by hand.
- Transfer to a serving plate.
- Serve as a side dish to rice.
Kongnamulmuchim made with homegrown soybean sprouts
Kongnamulmuchim made with store-sold soybean sprouts
Kongnamulppuribokkeum (stir-fried soybean sprout roots)
Ingredients
- 1½ cup of soybean sprouts roots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon roasted toasted sesame oil
Directions
- Heat up a pan. Add olive oil and the soybean sprout roots and stir fry for a minute.
- Add garlic, soy sauce, and honey (or rice syrup) and stir it with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
- Drizzle a few drops of toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chopped green onion.
- Serve as a side dish to rice.
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I made it for my boyfriend, and he said that with a little more salt it tasted just like his mother’s! I’m so excited. That was high praise! Thank you, Maangchi!
I grew my own bean sprouts (mung) and made kongnamul-muchim. Super yummy!
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hi there,
i wonder how long this side dish will keep in the refrigerator?
thank you!
jasmin
i made your recipe earlier today, but i leave the chilli flakes since my dad cant handle even a tiny tad of spiciness. it was a perfect condiment to our lunch!
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It’s not easy to find nice grown soybean sprouts here. FInally i found and made a batch with your recipe despite i don’t have sesame seed, i pour some sesame oil and it’s goes so nice with rice.
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This is our favourite banchan and so easy to make.
Buy the sprouts at a Korean grocery store so they are big and will stay crunchy with this recipe. Sprouts at regular Canadian supermarkets are mung bean sprouts which are smaller than Soy bean sprouts. Or you’ll have to shorten the boiling time.
I grow my own sprouts and love making sprout salad! It can be made so many ways, too! Growing up, my mother used to stir-fry pork, onions, and bean sprouts served with hot rice. One of my favorites; I still make it. If you’ve never grown mung bean sprouts, it’s very easy and you should try it! Thanks for this!!!!
I tried the first dish listed here, I wasn’t expecting much but I’m surprised by all those side dishes. They’re so quick and easy to make yet so delicious! I will try the second one next time.
Hi Maangchi, Love the site! I’ve been cooking lots of your recipes since I left Korea. My question is on using canned beans sprouts. I can’t seem to find any fresh sprouts here in Prague, but they have canned ones really cheap. I was wondering how I should change the recipe to work with this. I think they’re already pretty watery in the can, so do I even need to boil them? Or can I just drain them and add the toppings?
Hi Maangchi,
The stir-fried soybean sprout roots Looks really really tasty to me but i’m wondering can we buy soybean sprouts roots or you have to take it out yourself??? and can i just take normal soybean sprouts and i don’t know .. tear them in half or something lol?
Hi Maangchi!
Today, we had samgyeopsal-gui with kongnamul-muchim as one of the side-dishes.
I had some left-over rice (about two cups) in my rice-cooker and just put the washed and drained soybean-sprouts in there, together with all the other ingredients (mixed in a blender), less water and just a pinch of salt and cooked the sprouts until just done. Delicious!
The other side-dishes were buchu kimchi, yeolmu kimchi, putbaechu kimchi, some fried fish, kkaennip, ssamchang (we like the one for hoe best) and lots of fresh garlic. All self-made, of course.
Boy, are we full now! Baega bulloyo! ;-D
Bye, sanne.
Did you mean boil for 15 seconds instead of 15 minutes? 15 mins. seems like a long time.
Maangchi I’ve made your kongnamul recipe several times and people say my soybean sprouts are overcooked. I am told they should be crunchy. Is this just a variation in preference for the texture of the soybean sprouts? You mention in your recipe to boil the soybean sprouts for 15 minutes, which makes them very soft. How long would you recommend for ‘crunchy’ sprouts? Would I use the same amount of salt and water in the pot as well? Thank you.
Maybe your stove heat must be stronger than mine. If yours tastes overcooked, cook for a shorter amount of time.
Annyeonghaseyo maangchi! im new here but ive been seen you many times before.. :)
I made this 10 minutes ago! But i found my bean sprout just need to cook for 5 minutes on boiled water to make it crunchy.. :) but thanks for all ur recipe! Love it!Korean food a bit expensive here so ur recipe very helpful!
Thank you for your update!
If you have store bought sprouts you only need to cook them for 2-3 minutes
Looks so yummy~ how long can I keep this in the fridge? I was thinking of making a big batch and eating it throughout the week. :)
I would finish eating my Kongnamul muchim in a few days because it will go bad easily even in the fridge.
Hi Maangchi…why will this spoil fast? Yet kimchi keeps a long time in the ref.? And this one is cooked! Thanks!
OMG!!!I’m a student who study aboard in the UK, and just can’t tell how happy I am to find you on Youtube. I miss the Korean food I had in Hong Kong
Love your videos, love your passion! please keep it up. and perhaps I will make this the coming week if the ingredients are available in this tiny town. hahahahah
thanks a lot! thanks for sharingg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D
I hope you can find this ingredient easily there. If not, use mung bean sprouts which you can find anywhere. https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sukjunamul
Hiya Maangchi!
I’m not sure if anyone answered your plea for the name of the veg. that your friend used to make pickles, but could it be chayote/ choyote otherwise known as pipinela? I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the Japanese name for it. It is a kind of gourd and it grows on a vine. Tonight, I’m gonna try making your soybean sprout namul. It looks so delish! Your kimchi chigae/ jjigae(?) looks exactly like the ones I see in Ko-dramas! So inviting AND so spicy! Thanks for sharing and teaching!
Thank you so much! Chayote! I hope your soybean sprout side dish turns out delicious!
Maanchi, the kongnamul muchim went so very fast! Everybody loved it. You took the ‘scary part’ out of preparing this dish that I’m sure to make many times over. I do have a question … is there a way to ‘soften’ the flavor of the garlic? I noticed that even with the mincing and sitting under the hot soybeans, they ‘talked back’ to me after dinner! Would steaming the garlic just a little change the flavor too much? I wanted to one day make this a gathering, but … ?
Hi Zip,
You could blanch the garlic for a minute or two before using it in the recipe. This should remove much of that raw garlic bite.
Hi Maanchi, I’m new to the site and I am so happy that you posted this recipe to your website. It is my favorite. Anyway, how long will this soybean sprout dish keep in the fridge?
Hi Maangchi! Thanks so much for putting up a recipe for this side dish. Whenever I go to eat at Korean restaurants, this is the side dish that I eat the most so I’m very happy to see that I can now make this whenever I want. So thank you very much once again! :)
yeah Konamulmuchim is very easy to make and cheap but very delicious! I have never seen anyone who doesn’t like this dish.
Hi Maangchi! Love ur cookin~!! The crunchy thing that is made with soysauce in this video is called chayote. It is green in color. Very good to make that with jalopeno peppers too.
Thank you!!
Hi Maangchi,
Wow! This has instantly become my number 1 website. I love it. This yu are great for sharing all your stuff with us! Love it all. And so impressed to see how many different people are using this great site.
I have a quick question… I have had a wonderful side dish that is made from potato and it is a little sweet. Just perfect. I am not sure what it is called or how to make it, maybe you can help.
Also, do you know of any suppliers in Fiji Islands:)
Hello,Fiji Islander!
Amazing! I have my blog reader from Fiji Islands! : )
I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying your kongnamul muchim there.
Is it easy to find Korean ingredients in your area?
“…that is made from potato and it is a little sweet. Just perfect.”
How can I know the answer! A little sweet potato? : ) I’m curious about the dish, please leave your question on the forum with more detailed description. https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
Hello Maangchi,
I would like to ask how long can I keep this in the fridge? I asked this because I am a college student and I am very busy with my school works. This dish look so good, so I would like to keep it in the fridge so that I don’t have to make it every time I wants to eat. Thank-you very much!!
Kongnamul muchim goes bad easily even in the refrigerator. No more than 2 days.
Hello Maangchi! I am your newest fan. I just watched a few of your videos and I love your recipes, and your bright personality makes them so fun to watch!
I just watched your recipe about the soybean sprout banchan and I will try this tonight, it’s one of my favorite side dishes.
Also I wanted to say that the mystery vegetable you were talking about that looks like two fists together, might be a chayote squash, sometimes also referred to as a mirliton.
chayote, yes, that’s right. thank you very much! How is your Korean cooking going these days? Happy cooking!
Wow, I can’t believe it has been so long since I posted that message. Almost two years!
Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I was shopping at the Local H-Mart and they are now selling store-made pickled chayote, just like you described two years ago on your show! Your friend who invented it should be rich!
I am making kongnamul muchim tonight, by the way. Thank you again for the recipe, it is still my favorite side-dish.
I’ve been making kongnamul every week since I started using your recipe. My whole family loves this side dish. My husband was so surprised that I had made such delicious kongnamul. When I told him the ingredients he said “aha! Sugar!”
“aha sugar!” : )
hello maangchi;) you’re the best, i am actually from philippines, and i got married to korean man, we are now currently living here in Seoul with our two kids, and i am so much thankful to this site u had, i am learning how to cook korean foods by your recipes, thank u so much for sharing them to me, i made 2 kinds of banchan yesterday, dried anchovy and the perilla leaf kimchi plus i made kongnmol just now i am done and they are good through following your procedure..more blessing to come and i want you to know that i am the big fan of yours;)
joyce
joyce, I’m very happy to hear about your successful Korean cooking. I’m your fan, too! cool!
hi maangchi! I discovered your website earlier today and i can’t stop looking at these yummy foods! Korean food has always been my choice when i eat out and now i’m starting to get my hand making all those wonderful recipe! Thanks for your effort for posting it online!
A quite question, how should i roast sesame seeds as those i can get is raw.
awesome! Welcome to my website!
How to cook raw sesame seeds:
Wash and rinse sesame seeds using a strainer and drain the water
In a heavy bottomed wok or pan, add the cleaned sesame seeds
Turn on the stove and keep stirring until golden brown.
Hello! I just made this at 2am in the morning lol I only boiled it on high heat for 5 minutes because it was really tender. It came out a little too salty after I let it cool down and put more salt in it after I had already put it in while it was boiling. There was excess soy sauce after I mixed it together so I took it out. Thanks for the recipe!! =D
I’m thinking of making some of the banchan in this website for school, except I’m not sure how long it could last. I know the radish side dish can be refrigerated but can this one be refrigerated and for how long (the radish too…)? Thank you and your recipes are amazing (hehehe I tried the kalbi recipe and it was so addicting :P I should make that for school too :) ).
Oh sorry, nvm. I found the forum that talked about that in this website (this website is really amazing! :D )
The bean Sprout looks so delicious!! yum yum!! My husband and I love Chinese food (well, asian food, excluding India and Sri Lanka is considered Chinese my most of us hahahahaha!!) His fav. are Hongking noodles and Steamed Chicken rice. I’ve made them for them few times but i think I missed few ingredients.. will really appreciate if you help me with these two recipes :-) God bless…
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for awhile but now just starting to try out your recipes. I made this today- it has always been a favorite 반찬 of mine since I was a little girl haha. Anyway it turned out GREAT!!!! i’m not much of a cook- just moved to Korea several months ago though and decided to start trying and I was impressed by your recipe! I’ll definitely be trying others soon! P.S. I see you were at Mall of America for Passport to Korea :D I was in the fashion show last year with the 한복. I’m a Korean adoptee who grew up in MN ^^ hope your stay in MN was pleasant! -Ellen
Ellen,
nice meeting you through my website and thank you for your nice message!
I love MN and the mall. I got a pair of jeans there after my cooking demo. : ) MOA is such a good place for shopping. No tax on shoes and clothing!
I hope you have a great time and learn a lot about Korean culture and cooking during your stay in Korea.
Thank you very much for your videos and recipes. I like most of Korean foods. Because of you, I know how to cook these delicious recipes. Thanks :)
cool! thanks a lot!
i cook this before i found you on the internet. it was good, but i didn’t boil the sprout, and i used bean sprouts instead of soybean sprouts. I kind of stir-fry the bean sprouts all together. Lucky enough, my other ingredients are very similar to yours. The only thing is, i can’t keep the remaining in the fridge for more than two days.
I will try your recipe next time. I’m sure it will taste very nice :D. I am curious to see the different taste.
I really enjoy every cooking video of you on YouTube.
You are so Great! <3
I am obsessed with this dish! I had it twice last week for supper. I know it’s banchan but I like it so much I eat it mixed with brown or black rice with a little kimchi on the side for dinner. The bean sprouts I use are called “Sukju Namul” (Mung Bean Sprouts). I’m not sure if they’re the same thing but they work very well.
“I eat it mixed with brown or black rice with a little kimchi on the side for dinner.” It sounds healthy,delicious, and low calorie meal!
Mix it with rice,hot pepper paste,sesame oil in a large bowl. Yummy!
Your recipes are amazing! i am half korean and my mom passed away years ago so there are some things she taught me to cook but others that I really miss…so far you have had EVERY recipe I’ve wondered about:)
Thank you soo much!!!
You miss your mom and her food! yes, mom’s food is the best!
Welcome to my website!
I’m not sure what went wrong when I made my bean sprouts but something did.
I followed your recipe, but after boiling the sprouts, they ended up being mushy and gross. I just got these sprouts 2 days ago so I know they weren’t bad.
The flavor of the sauce you put on them was really good though. I’ll have to try it again.
Cook for a shorter time next time you make it.
@ LisaL ~ perhaps Maangchi timed it from when she started the pot? I brought my pot to a boil and timed it for only 2 mins! I left the heat on for 1 min and turned it off for the last min, keeping it on the stove to finish w/the residual heat. However, everybody likes things a little differently, so I tested 2 sprouts at different times to judge it for myself. My first batch is sitting on the grn onion mix, smelling so tasty and the sprouts are definitely crunchy! Thank you Maangchi ~ we’re gonna love this dish for sure!
Maangchi, you are outstanding! I love what you do and your dedication. I appreciate your skills, ability to teach, and your services. With your help, I’ve become quite a cook! If you are ever in LA…I would love to meet you and cook for you. :)
wow,it sound like you have a lot of confidence in cooking, which makes me happy! Sure, let’s get together when I visit there.
This is the perfect recipe I was looking for all over the internet. I’m half Korean and am really starting to miss my mom’s cooking so I’m trying to start making them myself. I love your website and all your recipes Maangchi! Thanks for sharing them with us. ;)
Mom’s cooking is always the best! Thank you very much! Your mom will be proud of you!