Korean Bean Sprouts Recipe – Sukju Namul
My Bean Sprouts Recipe will show you how to make the very popular Korean Bean Sprouts side dish called Sukju Namul (숙주나물). BTW, just to clarify, the bean sprouts in this Korean Bean Sprouts recipe are Mung Bean Sprouts and NOT Soy Bean Sprouts which is called Kongnamul (콩나물). The word Namul, according to Korean dictionary, has two meanings: 1. any herb or plant leaves that are edible 2. any herb or plant that is seasoned raw, boiled or sautéed.
Then you are probably thinking that Sukju must mean mung beans in Korean (and honestly, I almost wrote that not remembering a story I heard many years ago) but it actually does NOT!!!
Mung bean in Korean is called Nokdu (녹두) so then it should be called Nokdu Namul…but the name Sukju Namul is used.
Why???
Well, are you ready for a quick history lesson? If not, just skip the next couple paragraphs.. 😉
History of Sukju Namul (Korean Mung Bean Sprouts Side Dish)
Under King Sejong (14th century Joseon Dynasty), there was a great scholar whose name was Shin Sukju (신숙주(申叔舟, 1417~1475)). It is recorded that Shin Sukju was a core contributor in the creation and application of the Korean alphabet Hangul under King Sejong and the King had deep trust for him. When King Sejong died in 1450, he asked Shin and few other trusted officials to protect his heirs and his line of throne because his oldest son King Munjong was very weak and his grandson King Danjong was still very young.
As King Sejong had sadly predicted, King Munjong died from illness in 1452 at age 39 – after only a 3 year reign. And when his son King Danjong became King at the very young age of 12, King Sejong’s younger brother Sejo (who always believed that he should be King) led a coup and succeeded in taking over the throne. Eventually King Danjong was ordered to put to death by his uncle Sejo in 1455. This is one of the most heart wrenching story in Korean history and many Korean historical dramas were made around these times. Queen Insoo (인수대비 Insoodaebi) is one of the many that I enjoyed watching.
After the coup, many of King Sejong’s trusted officials stood up against King Sejo’s take over and ended up losing their lives. However, Shin Sukju quickly professed allegiance to Sejo and was later highly decorated by King Sejo for his many contributions during his reign.
OK.. so.. you are probably wondering.. what does this crazy story have anything to do with mung bean sprouts???
Well – if you have bought bean sprouts from the market and kept them in your fridge for few days, you will know that they change color and go bad pretty quickly. Also, even they are cooked and made into Korean Bean Sprout Salad or Namul, they spoil pretty quickly also. Seeing how the mung bean sprouts change so quickly, Korean people living during the times of King Sejo started calling it “sukju” saying that mung bean sprouts change quickly and easily just like how Shin Sukju changed his allegiance so quickly and easily.
Haha.. so now you know… the rest of the story…
If you have searched for recipes for Korean Sukju Namul online, you probably noticed that many have garlic in it. But my recipe omits garlic. I love the pure simple taste of cooked mung bean sprouts, seasoned lightly with salt and enhanced just a little bit with a touch of sesame oil and green onions. I asked some of my sisters and they agreed that this is the best way to eat it.
Anyway, here is a great Korean Bean Sprout Recipe that you can add to your set of “Namul” recipes – totally gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. And of course, very low calorie. The only bad thing(?) would be that it does change pretty quickly.
Best Korean Bean Sprout Recipe – Sukju Namul
Servings 3-4 Cooking Time: 8 min Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) bean sprouts
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (Trader Joe’s fine sea salt – 440 mg sodium per 1/4 tsp)
- 1 qt salted water for cooking (1/2 tsp sea salt for 1 quart of water)
- 1 tsp green onions, chopped
- dash black pepper (optional)
- ice bath
- Rinse mung bean sprouts in water and drain.
- In a pot, bring 1 qt of water and 1/2 tsp sea salt to boil.
- Prepare an ice bath with a bowl of ice water.
- Add bean sprouts to boiling water and bring back to boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes (after it starts boiling again) or until sprouts just starting to look cooked. Sprouts should be slightly crunchy and will start to look translucent and dull in color.
Bean Sprouts boiling in pot for Korean Bean Sprouts Recipe – Sukju Namul The key to success of this Bean Sprouts recipe is how well you cook the bean sprouts. Do NOT OVERCOOK.
- The sprouts will also continue to cook in residual heat so as soon as they are starting to look translucent, transfer the sprouts to ice bath immediately.
Cooked Bean Sprouts in Ice Bath for Korean Bean Sprouts Namul Note the color difference between uncooked fresh sprouts in my hand (left) and the cooked bean sprouts in the ice bath.
- When sprouts are completely cooled, drain.
- Grab a handful of sprouts and squeeze the liquid gently with your hands. Repeat for remaining sprouts.
How to cook bean sprouts for Korean Bean Sprouts Namul Recipe Cooked mung bean sprouts squeezed for Bean Sprouts Namul Recipe - Cut the bean sprouts once with a knife if you want smaller pieces. This is optional.
Squeeze Bean Sprouts for Korean Bean Sprouts Recipe (Namul) - Season bean sprouts with sea salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Garnish with some chopped green onions.
Korean Bean Sprouts Recipe with Sesame oil
And here it is!!
Best Bean Sprouts Recipe for Korean Sukju Namul
Ingredients
- 1 lb mung bean sprouts
- 1 qt salted water for cooking (1/2 tsp sea salt for 1 quart of water)
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (Trader Joe’s fine sea salt – 440 mg sodium per 1/4 tsp)
- 1 tsp green onions (chopped)
- ice bath
- dash black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse mung bean sprouts in water and drain.
- In a pot, bring 1 qt of water and 1/2 tsp sea salt to boil.
- Prepare an ice bath with a bowl of ice water.
- Add bean sprouts to boiling water and bring back to boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes (after it starts boiling again) or until sprouts just starting to look cooked. Sprouts should be slightly crunchy and will start to look translucent and dull in color. Do NOT OVERCOOK.
- When cooked, transfer the sprouts to ice bath immediately.
- When sprouts are completely cooled, drain.
- Grab a handful of sprouts and squeeze the liquid gently with your hands. Repeat for remaining sprouts.
- Season bean sprouts with sea salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Garnish with some chopped green onions.
Tips & Notes:
Do not leave at room temperature for too long because it spoils easily. Can be refrigerated and served cold or at room temp.
Nutrition Information:
Variation and Tips:
- This bean sprouts recipe takes a bit of a purist approach. If you like garlic, you can try enhancing it with some garlic powder (fresh garlic is too strong in my opinion).
- I know this is a pretty bland colored dish. So for color, you can add things like yellow peppers and cucumbers for extra freshness.
- Can be served cold from the fridge or room temperature. But do not leave it out at room temperature for more than 2-3 hrs. Of course, it tastes best when you have freshly made it.
- If coming from fridge, always check to see if it has spoiled or not. Freshen it up with a drizzle of sesame oil and sesame seeds. Great for bibimbap.
Hope you like it!! Enjoy~
XOXO
JinJoo
I miss the side dishes served with the meals we used to get in Hawaii. This brings back the taste of home.
So happy to hear that! Enjoy!!
I love the history just as much as the dish itself!
Yay So happy to hear that!! Thank you!
Dear JinJoo,
I first had this dish from a popular Korean restaurant chain here in Colorado, (Korean Garden). I have been looking for a similar recipe ever since. I am not much of a a cook but I like trying new things. Today I made Sukju Namal. I won’t ever forget the meaning in it’s name. Lol! You have a very colorful way of explaining the history behind the dish. I like that. Recently, I have fallen in love with the foods, music, language and people of Korea through the Kwave currently sweeping the world. I am so happy to add your blog to my ever growing list of learning resources. I want to learn so much more. I especially enjoyed reading your history behind these foods. Gamsahamnida, your new fan, Amfanmaam
Aww.. thank you soo much for this wonderful note. It’s so encouraging to read feedbacks like this – sorry the response is so late. Just going through some old missed comments now. So glad you enjoy my little tidbits of info. It’s just fun for me to share. Take care!
I am making this constantly! There is finally a store close to me selling these fresh sprouts and now i crave this dish 🙂 i like to add some chopped scallions and a bit of soy sauce.
I also liked this very much made with soybean sprouts- i had a lot left after making soybean sprout soup.
Yes! It’s so simple flavored but soo good isn’t it? I have been meaning to post soybean sprout namul too – it’s similar but has a bit more seasoning… Thank you for your comment! Take care,