I really love Korean beansprout salad and make it regularly to store in the fridge to enjoy as is or with some bibimbap.
Beansprout salad can either be in the form of kongnamul (soy bean sprout salad) or sookjunamul (mung bean sprout salad), depending on what type of bean sprouts you use.
I of course start with fresh bean sprouts (these are mung bean sprouts) that I cook, rinse through, and mix into the sesame oil mixture.
SEASONING/MIXTURE FOR THE BEAN SPROUT SALAD
I then prepared the sesame oil mixture before adding in the beansprouts afterwards.
This is a really simple mix of the following:
- chopped spring onions or scallion
- toasted sesame oil or more
- minced garlic
- toasted sesame seeds
- sugar optional to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Like most, if not all, of my recipes–feel free to adjust everything to your desired taste! You can use the measurements as a guide and then adjust everything from there to be able to get to your desired beansprout salad flavour.
You can easily adjust the seasoning according to your desired taste. I like mine on the saltier side while my sister likes hers with a hint of sweetness.
I love these bean sprouts in bibimbap because it has a very subtle flavour but has that really nice, crunchy texture.
You can check out my bibimbap recipe here and my vegan ‘egg’ recipe here.
You can also use this recipe to make sigumchinamul (spinach salad or side dish) but use spinach instead of bean sprouts!
Here are 3 banchan (Korean side dishes) I made:
These 3 are probably my favourite banchan and always love to make them in big batches! You can find my kimchi recipe here.
You’ll find the recipe for this beansprout salad below! ◡̈ enjoy!
Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes?
You can get a copy of my upcoming cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
OTHER KOREAN VEGAN RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
- “Beef” Bulgogi Bowls
- Vegan Kimchi
- Korean Beansprout Salad
- Bibim Guksu (Korean Mixed Noodles)
- Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Soft Tofu Stew)
- Kimchi Noodle Soup with Dumplings
- Kimchi Noodle Stir-Fry
- Jjajangmyeon
- Kimchi Pancakes or Kimchi Jeon
- Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)
- Yachaejeon (Korean Vegetable Pancakes)
Korean Beansprout Salad
Ingredients
Cooking the Sprouts
- 500 g fresh soy bean sprouts or mung bean sprouts
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 cups water
Seasoning
- 2 tbsp chopped spring onions, scallions, or green onions
- 2-4 tbsp toasted sesame oil (see notes)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2-3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 3/4 – 1 tsp salt adjust according to taste
- 2 tsp sugar or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 tsp gochugaru or Korean chili powder (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the beansprouts in running water. Remove the bad sprouts that float. Drain water then set aside.
- Heat a pot with 5 cups water. Add in the salt. Once it boils, place the beansprouts and leave to cook for 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the bean sprouts to cool.
- Strain the water from the beansprouts. Run beansprouts through some cold water. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the sprouts. Note that the sprouts will continue to release liquid especally when it sits in the seasoning so it's best to really squeeze out the excess liquid after it cooks.
- While the beansprouts are cooking, mix the sesame oil, minced garlic, sesame seeds, salt, green onion, pepper, gochugaru (if using) in a large bowl. Feel free to add some sugar, for a hint of sweetness, if you’d like!
- Place the cooked and squeezed beansprouts in the sesame oil mix. Mix well and then taste the bean sprouts. The seasoning is totally up to you and you can always adjust everything to your desired taste by adding more salt and sugar, to taste, as needed. If it's a bit dry you can add more sesame oil and more sesame seeds for extra flavour.
- This can be refrigerated and enjoyed for up to 1 week or even longer. Just make sure to keep it in a cold place in your fridge and only scoop out what you want to consume at a time.Spinach: I also used this same recipe for the spinach salad. But of course I used spinach isntead of the beansprouts.
This Post Has 2 Comments
This was a wonderful accompaniment to the bulgolgi which I cooked for dinner. I would use a little less sugar next time though. Great recipe.
Thank you Pauline! ◡̈