Mung bean sprout side dish

Today I’m going to make a mung bean sprout side dish with my homegrown mung bean sprouts. If you followed my directions and harvested your sprouts already, this is perfect timing for you and you’re ready to start! If you didn’t grow your sprouts, don’t worry, you can still buy them in a grocery store. They’re widely available these days.

In Korean, this recipe is called sukju-namul which is also the name for the bean sprouts themselves. We also call this recipe nokdu-namul, because the sprout grows from the mung bean, called nokdu (녹두). On my website I call the recipe sukjunamul-muchim because muchim means mixed.

You may remember that I posted a recipe and video for a mung bean sprout side dish years ago. That recipe is a little different than this one. It has cucumber in it and is from the southern city of Yeosu where I grew up. The recipe I’m showing you today is more widely known in Korea, and just as delicious.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, and if you make it, let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

• 1 pound mung bean sprouts (or grow your own mung bean sprouts)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon fish sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Blanch the sprouts for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Strain them and rinse in cold water in a large bowl for a couple of times. As you rinse them, shake them under the water so the skins fall into the bowl. Put the cleaned sprouts in a basket and strain well. 
3. Combine garlic, green onion, fish sauce, salt, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Add the sprouts and mix by hand to season evenly.
   
4. Transfer them to a serving bowl or plate. Serve warm or cold as a side dish. You can refrigerate them for up to 3 days.

Vegetarian version

Skip fish sauce and use 1½ teaspoon salt.