Kongnamul bap is basically rice cooked with kongnamul (soybean sprouts). Simply cook the rice with soybean sprouts and other ingredients you’d like to add for delicious Korean rice bowls!
I hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season! Today, I have another delicious rice bowl recipe. It’s a quick and easy meal you can put together to feed the whole family over the busy holiday season. Kongnamul bap (콩나물밥) is basically rice cooked with kongnamul (soybean sprouts). Simply add soybean sprouts to your rice, and cook the rice the same way as you normally do. The same technique is used with various other vegetables, meat and/or seafood to make rice bowl dishes.
It’s important to use less water because soybean sprouts release lots of water. The rice will soak up the nutty flavor of the soybean sprouts as it cooks. It’s very common to add slightly seasoned beef or pork, giving the dish another layer of flavor, and making it a more substantial dish. Another addition that my family loves is kimchi! Doesn’t kimchi make everything better anyways? So, that’s what I’m sharing here.
In this recipe, I precooked the kimchi and meat to develop more flavors before adding to the rice, but you can skip this step if you want. With a delicious soy sauce-based sauce (yangnyeomjang or yangnyumjang, 양념장) mixed in, you and your family will love this tasty one-dish meal!
Ingredients
Rice:
- 1-1/2 cups short grain rice
- 1-1/2 cups water
Vegetables and meat:
- 1 pound soy bean sprouts
- 4 - 6 ounces beef or pork (omit for a vegetarian option)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine or mirin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic
- 1 cup thinly sliced kimchi preferably fully fermented
- 2 tablespoons juice from kimchi
Sauce (Yangnyumjang):
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes gochugaru
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 - 3 scallions finely chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the rice. Drain. (This is to make sure the correct amount of water is added.) Place in a pot or rice cooker and add the exact amount of water (1:1 rice to water ratio). Let sit so the rice is soaked. Wash the soybean sprouts and drain.
- Cut the meat in small pieces and lightly season with the next 3 ingredients. Cut the kimchi into thin strips (about 1/2 inch). Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Stir-fry the kimchi for 2 - 3 minutes, adding some juice from kimchi to intensify the flavor, if available. Add the meat and stir-fry for another minute or two. (The meat doesn't need to be cooked through.)
- Spread the soybean sprouts over the rice, followed by the stir-fried kimchi and meat. Start the rice cooker, or cook over the stovetop.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients.
- When the rice is done, gently fluff up the rice, evenly distributing the sprouts, meat and kimchi. Serve with the sauce on the side.
Stove top method:
- In a heavy bottom pot with a lid, stir-fry the kimchi for 2 - 3 minutes, adding some juice from kimchi to intensify the flavor, if available. Add the meat and stir-fry for another minute or two. (The meat doesn't need to be cooked through.)
- Stir in the rice and water. Place the soybean sprout on top. Cover, and bring the rice to a full boil over high heat. This will take 4 to 5 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, and leave the pot covered for about 5 minutes.
