Soybean Sprout soup or Kongnamul Guk is comfort in a bowl. It’s quick, easy, and nutritious. It does not take much to take the soup to the next level.
Soybean Sprout Soup or Kongnamul Guk is one of the staple soups in Korea. In a typical Korean meal, we almost always have freshly steamed rice, a side dish, and soup. If we’re not lazy, we’ll probably have a main dish like spicy chicken, stir-fried pork, or bulgogi. Other than that, we can live off the former three.
What You’ll Need
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Soybean Sprouts
With the different types of soup I have shared with you guys, this is probably the easiest to make. It only takes four basic ingredients and you’ll be able to switch it up which I will be sharing with you by the end of this article.
Soybean Sprouts are very common in Korea. It’s easy to grow, it’s low maintenance, and it only takes about a week to harvest. You can even plant this in your own home! With its abundance, Koreans have been able to make different recipes from them like Soybean Sprout Banchan or Dried Pollack Soup.
Aside from being easy to get, they are also very nutritious. It’s commonly served when we have a cold because of the vitamins that boost our immune system or when we have a hangover because it contains amino acids that help eliminate toxins in our body. Check out this Spicy Hangover Soup to know more!
Soybean Sprouts can be confused with Mungbean Spouts since they practically look the same. When you’re getting them and there are two kinds available, make sure you get the long, slender stalks with a slightly larger head. That stalk will remain crisp after cooking, and it will be a nice complement to the soup.
To prepare, just wash it well and there is no need to remove the heads or the roots as those parts also contain nutrients. This soup is earthy and nutty, with a twist of crispiness.
Korean Soup Stock
In my Dried Pollack Soup recipe, I’ve shared the traditional way of making soup stock consisting of different kinds of dried seafood and dried kelp to bring in the natural umami in the stock. But for this beansprout soup recipe, since I want it to be quick and easy, I’d recommend you use Dashi Pack.
Dashi Pack contains dried anchovies and dried kelp packed in a tea bag. The fish has been cleaned and the contents have been portioned to make the perfect soup stock. All you have to do is boil them for 10 minutes and it’s good to go.
When you go to Hmart to get this, there will be many variations that contain dried herring, pollack, shrimp, radish, or mushrooms. You can just choose according to your preference and that should be useful in making an umami-rich soup stock. However, if you have any dietary restrictions and still wanna try this, just go ahead and use water to make this soup.
Other ingredients that make this simple soup tastier are simply adding aromatics such as garlic and scallion, and then seasoning it with salt. With that, you’ll have a clean and clear soup ready to go with your meals or to cure your hangover.
Recipe Tips
While this soup is quick, easy, and cheap, it is also very versatile. It will not really take much to make the soup better, so what you can do is:
- Season it with fish sauce or salted shrimp. For this recipe, I used soy sauce for soup as a seasoning, but I only added a small amount to keep the soup clear. To elevate the taste while keeping the clarity of the soup, you can add fish sauce or salted shrimp if you have some in your pantry.
- Spice it up! When I asked wifey how she liked her soup, she wanted the plain version. But for me, I added Korean peppers and pepper powder for some heat. Sometimes, all we need is that spice, nahmean??
- Make some Acorn Noodle Soup. If you have any leftover soup, you can simply store it in the fridge for four days. You can now use that for Acorn Noodle Soup. To make it, you only need one part of Soybean Sprout Soup and one part of Beef & Radish Soup, then add the acorn noodles. This noodle soup is healthy, hearty, and definitely refreshing! Serve with kimchi and that’s what I call comfort meal!
Other Korean soup recipes you might like:
- Spicy Soft Tofu Stew (Soondubu)
- White Soondubu Jjigae
- Rice Cake Soup (Tteokguk)
- Pepper Paste Soup (Gochujang Jjigae)
Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!
Soybean Sprout Soup (Kongnamul Guk)
Ingredients
- 5 cups Water
- 1 bag Dashi Pack
- 200 grams Soybean Sprouts
- 1 tbsp Garlic Minced
- 2 stalks Green Onion Sliced to matchstick sizes
- 1/2 tbsp Gukanjang or Soy Sauce for Soup
- Salt To taste
- Pepper Flakes or Pepper Optional if you prefer it spicy
Instructions
- Heat up 5 cups of water. Once it starts boiling, add the dashi pack and boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove the dashi pack, and add the beansprouts. Boil for another 5 minutes.
- Halfway in, add garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Add fish sauce or salted shrimp, to taste.
- Finish with scallions. Serve and enjoy!
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