Crispy Bean Sprout Salad (Sukju Namul Muchim)
Crunchy Bean Sprout Salad! (Vegetable Dish)
My youngest went to the neighborhood supermarket to buy ice cream. I asked him to buy a pack of soybean sprouts, but he came back with bean sprouts! He said he just grabbed the ones he saw, and it turned out to be bean sprouts. Although we eat bean sprouts almost as often as soybean sprouts at home, they can’t be added to certain dishes like monkfish stew, so I decided to make a crunchy salad instead. Let’s make a wonderfully crisp bean sprout salad!
Ingredients- 300g fresh bean sprouts
- 1/2 small onion
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper
- 1 chili pepper (optional, for heat)
- 1 red chili pepper (for color and sweetness)
- A little bit of the white part of green onion
- A pinch of sesame seeds
- A pinch of salt (for blanching)
Seasoning Sauce- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2.5 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp mirin (rice wine)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2.5 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp mirin (rice wine)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Rinse the bean sprouts thoroughly under cold running water in a colander. Drain them well. Ensuring they are well-drained is key to preventing a watery salad.
Step 2
Thinly slice the yellow bell pepper and onion. Finely chop the green onion (white part), red chili pepper, and chili pepper. If you prefer less heat, you can remove the seeds from the chili peppers.
Step 3
Bring a pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the bean sprouts and blanch them for no more than 2-3 minutes, uncovered. Overcooking will make them lose their crispness. I recommend not covering the pot to maintain the crisp texture.
Step 4
Immediately drain the blanched bean sprouts and rinse them in ice-cold water. This crucial step stops the cooking process and enhances their crunch. Gently squeeze out excess water from the bean sprouts.
Step 5
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce: soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, vinegar, and mirin. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved. I always make a generous amount of this sauce because my youngest loves to mix leftover sauce with a fried egg and rice for a quick meal!
Step 6
Place the drained bean sprouts, sliced onion, and yellow bell pepper into a mixing bowl.
Step 7
Add about one-third of the prepared seasoning sauce to the bowl. Gently toss the ingredients to coat them evenly with the sauce, being careful not to mash the bean sprouts.
Step 8
Transfer the dressed bean sprout salad to a serving plate. Garnish with the chopped chili peppers, red chili pepper, and green onion. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds for added flavor and visual appeal. Enjoy your refreshing and crunchy bean sprout salad!
