This Korean side dish is part of a spread usually served at KBBQ. It’s so moreish and easily the best way to get through a bag of beansprouts.
Beansprouts can sometimes have a bit of a fart smell to them which can be offputting but I find blanching them really removes any bitter funk. The sesame oil and garlic dressing goes a long way too, creating a dish with the soft crunch of a pickle but the rounded flavour of sesame and garlic.
What is suku namul?
In Korean cuisine, it’s common to be offered an array of side dishes to accompany many meals. These are called banchan. A few popular ban chan are kimchi, sweet crispy anchovies, potato salad, or vegetable dishes like these beansprouts. A version made with blanched spinach is also popular and a personal favourite.
Tips before you begin
- You can use any type of beansprouts you can find. For this recipe I used soybean sprouts because I found them at the Korean grocer and love the long, thin shape. Typically mungbean sprouts are the most commonly sold. I’ve made this dish plenty of times using them the same way.
- It’s surprisingly hard to overcook the beansprouts, they will still retain a crunchy texture after blanching. It may take longer than you think for them to soften.
- This dish is excellent served cold so it’s great to have in the fridge for snacking or adding as a side to something like these gochujang vodka noodles.
Beansprout banchan (sukju namul)
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place a medium pot of salted water on to boil. Once boiling blanch the bean sprouts and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften - takes a little longer than you think.
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Strain the sprouts well to remove any extra water. Place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well to distribute the garlic. It’s important to grate the garlic so you don’t have any chunks - also the heat of the beansprouts will mellow some of the harsh garlic flavour.
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Serve as-is or store in the fridge and eat cold whenever you’re ready.
