Making Kongnamul Bap (콩나물밥) / Korean Beansprout Rice

I was never one to urge people to try out food or recipes, because I know first hand that it can be very annoying. But that’s about to change right now. You absolutely have to try this dish at least once in your life, be it homemade or in your nearest Korean restaurant. I was skeptical at first because it contained a ridiculous amount of beansprouts (which I hate - I’ve always thought that they have a bitter taste), but I was a goner from the first bite. I made this to continue my Hansik post for the 10 Super Junior members and this is for the Cho Kyuhyun & Kim Ryeowook stans out there (I can almost hear the fangirls purging their Tumblr after what Wook tweeted [promptly ignore this part if you don’t know what I’m talking about]).

I know their Hansik was the bibimbap, but since there’s no gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) here and it involves making a myriad of banchans, I decided to make its simpler and more humble “cousin. Serve it with a sunny-side up and don’t be bashful with the yangnyumjang sauce. Oh, and make sure you mix the rice, sauce and egg thoroughly before digging in!

Other Hansik Series (5 members down, 5 more to go):

Choi Siwon’s Pajeon (Scallion Pancakes)

Lee (Eunhyuk) Hyukjae’s Japchae (Glass Noodles with Beef & Vegetables)

Kim (Yesung) Jongwoon’s Dak Kang Jung (Crispy Chicken with Sweet & Spicy Sauce)

KONGNAMUL BAP:

[ 3/4 cup rice + 3/4 cup water + 1 3/4 cup beansprouts + 1/2 cup ground beef (substitute with shiitake mushrooms to make a vegetarian version) + 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1 teaspoon soy sauce + ground black pepper to taste ]

Season the minced beef with sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Wash and rinse the beansprouts. Pick out the brown and wilted ones.

Wash and rinse the rice until the water becomes clear.

Put in a heavy-based saucepan with the water. Leave to sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Yangnyumjang sauce:

YANGNYUMJANG SAUCE:

[ 1/3 cup soy sauce + 2 cloves of garlic, minced + 1-2 stalks of green onion, chopped + 2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (or to taste - go easy on the pepper if you’re still a novice spice eater) + 1 teaspoon honey + 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1/2 of an onion, chopped + 1-2 green chili pepper, chopped + 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds ]

Put everything in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

After the time has passed, put the beansprouts on top of the soaked rice. Spread the seasoned meat on top of the bean sprouts.

Close the lid and bring to a boil over medium high heat for 10 minutes. After boiling, turn it over with a rice scoop and mix all the ingredients well.