Kongnamul Bap is a Korean staple that’s made by cooking beansprouts and rice together in one pot. It’s a 5-minute dish that’s comforting and delicious!
Kongnamul Bap or Soybean Sprout Rice is one of my favorite meals growing up. Honestly, I don’t like beansprouts that much, but when my mom makes these I finish it as fast as she makes it!
It’s a simple meal where you steam beansprouts and leftover rice in a pot, then you top it with a fresh and umami-filled sauce. It’s very similar to bibimbap, but takes less work. Very few ingredients are needed for this dish, but it’s light yet nutritious, it’s easy yet so hearty!
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Soybean Sprouts – The main ingredient of the dish. No prep work is needed for this aside from washing it thoroughly. This is filled with nutrients and can be eaten after just a quick steam. It is nutty and blends well with the sauce, so you can use as much as you want for a more nourishing meal. For more soybean sprout dishes check out Kongnamul Guk, Haejang Guk, or Beansprout Banchan!
- Rice – To make things quicker, you can use pre-cooked rice available in Korean groceries or leftover rice. Any type is okay. Super convenient!
- Mirin – This is for acidity and sweetness that will steam and flavor the beansprouts.
- Seaweed Paper – For garnish.
Kongnamul Bap Sauce
- Soy Sauce – The main seasoning of the rice.
- Water – This helps dilute the soy sauce so it’s not too salty.
- Sesame Oil, Sesame Seeds – For a nutty flavor and additional texture.
- Scallions, Onion – The aromatics for added spice and freshness. Feel free to use more or less according to your tolerance for its raw flavor. Personally, I love adding more because it complements the aromatics well.
- Gochugaru, Jalapeño Peppers – These are optional for spice, feel free to skip them if you don’t like spicy food.
How to Make Kongnamul Bap?
Before we start, you need a small ramen pot (the gold pots you can see in K-drama) or ttukbaegi. These are perfectly good for one, you can cook in them, and you can use them for serving! Less dish to wash!
In a pot, put a handful of beansprouts and drizzle mirin all over it. There’s no need to add water because the beansprouts will water down and that will be enough to steam the vegetable. Use as much as you like because it will shrink as it cooks.
Place a cup of rice on top of the beansprouts, cover, and cook this for five minutes. Do not open and close it, we need to trap all the steam inside.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by chopping the scallions, onion, and peppers. In a saucepan, combine soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sesame seeds, scallions, onions, gochugaru, and peppers.
After five minutes, remove the lid and place the sauce on top of the rice. You can add the sauce gradually so you can taste it first before adjusting. Top with seaweed paper, and mix thoroughly. The more you mix it, the better it tastes!
And you’re done! This is a simple dish that you can eat as is or you can pair with different proteins like a fried egg, Korean Rolled Omelette, Soy Garlic Chicken BBQ, Soybean Paste Pork Belly, or LA Galbi.
Other rice recipes you might like:
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Soybean Sprout Rice (Kongnamul Bap)
Equipment
- Small Ramen Pot or Ttukbaegi
Ingredients
- Handful of Soybean Sprouts
- 2 tbsp Mirin
- 1 cup Rice
- Seaweed Paper For garnish
Kongnamul Bap Sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1-2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 tbsp Gochugaru Add as much as you like
- 1 stalk Scallions Chopped
- 1/4 of Whole Onion Diced
- 1/2 of Whole Jalapeño Optional, Diced
Instructions
- On a pot, put a handful of soybean sprouts, drizzle mirin all over, place the rice on top, then cover.
- Place it on the stove, put it on medium heat, and let it cook for 5 minutes. Keep the lid closed.
- While cooking, chop the scallions, onion, and pepper. Then, in a saucepan, combine it with soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and gochugaru.
- After 5 minutes, open the pot and add the sauce on top of the rice. Add the sauce gradually, according to taste.
- Mix the rice thoroughly, serve, and enjoy!
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