Khong Namool- Seasoned Soybean Sprouts

Must Try Recipes

After several weeks of drinking copious amounts of booze and testing (and eating) a bunch of desserts, I’m  doing my best to get South Korea off on a healthy start.  I chose these beansprouts as the opening recipe for several reasons.  First, because just about everybody can enjoy them since they’re gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. Second, because some of my later recipes will use these as a topping.  Third, and most importantly, because they’re pretty awesome.

I’m not the kind of girl who would normally get excited over something like bean sprouts (usually it’s chocolate, cheese, etc.) but I can definitely see myself adding these to a frequent rotation around here.  They’re crunchy, spicy, fresh  and complex.  Most importantly, they’re easy to prepare and quick to come together.  Next time I’m definitely making a double batch.

Seasoned Bean Sprouts

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

* 1 pound soybean sprouts
* 2 cups water
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed
* 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons Korean chili powder
* black pepper
* 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper threads, for garnish

Directions:

Wash the bean sprouts in cold water. Place them in a saucepan and add two cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil the sprouts for 7-8 minutes and do not lift the lid during this time. Remove from heat and rinse the sprouts under cold water and drain.

Add the green onions, garlic, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt, chili powder and stir to mix. Grind a little black pepper over the top and add the red pepper threads to garnish.

Note #1: For toasted, crushed sesame seeds, toast whole sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until the begin to turn golden. Let cool slightly. Place in a coffee grinder or a food processor and pulse several times.

Note #2: Both the Korean chili powder and the red chili pepper threads can be purchased at an Asian or Korean grocery.

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