This soup is a variation of kongnamul guk (soybean sprout soup) that’s made with kimchi. It’s straightforward and refreshingly scrumptious with a pleasant spicy kick!
Kimchi kognamul guk (김치 콩나물국) is a typical day-after-day soup in Korean houses. It’s a variation of kongnamul guk which is made with kongnamul (soybean sprouts), a staple Korean vegetable.
The addition of kimchi takes the soup to a different stage with a spicy kick that’s ok to clear your sinuses. When my youngsters had been rising up, I made this soup for them once they had a chilly, identical to my mom did after I was rising up. It’s my daughter’s favourite soup when she feels underneath the climate. Nothing beats it on chilly days!
Serve it individually, or over the rice to make gukbap (국밥), a soup with rice in it.
Soup base
As with kongnamul guk, this soup is finest with an anchovy broth base. You need to use beef broth as a substitute, if you’d like. To make beef broth, merely sauté thinly sliced, chew sized beef till all of the items flip brown. Pour in 8 cups of water and convey it to a boil. Cut back the warmth to medium excessive and proceed to boil, coated, for 10 minutes. See my muguk recipe for reference.
Kimchi
This soup will style finest with previous bitter kimchi. The juice from the kimchi provides a lot taste to the broth, so don’t skip it if accessible.
Kongnamul (soybean sprouts)
Kongnamul is excessive in B nutritional vitamins, vitamin C and protein, which is why Kongnamul guk is a well-liked residence treatment for frequent colds and hangovers in Korea.
Relying on the situation of your kongnamul, you possibly can snip off the roots for cleaner look, but it surely’s crucial. The roots have vitamins too. I normally trim off the dangerous wanting/brownish ones.
Don’t overcook soybean sprouts to retain their crunchy texture. On the whole, you possibly can cook dinner them both coated or uncovered. If cooking coated, don’t open the lid whereas they’re being cooked, or the uncooked bean odor will linger even after cooked.
Seasoning
The kimchi and its juice provides saltiness, so that you simply want somewhat little bit of further seasoning, relying on the saltiness of your kimchi. I used somewhat little bit of soup soy sauce (guk ganjang, 국간장) to season the soup on this recipe. If you happen to don’t have Korean soup soy sauce, you should use fish sauce or just season with salt. I typically use saeujeot (새우젖, salted and fermented shrimp) to season this soup. It really works rather well with one of these soup.
We prefer it additional spicy with gochugaru. You may at all times omit it or modify to your choice.
Extra Korean soup recipes
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Directions
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Make anchovy broth with 8 cups of water. See the recipe.
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Rinse the soybean sprouts a few occasions, discarding any skins which are floating. Slice the kimchi into about 1/2-inch thick strips.
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Add the sliced kimchi, kimchi juice, gochugaru, and the soup soy sauce (or saeujeot, salted shrimp) to the anchovy broth. Carry it to a boil. Prepare dinner over medium excessive warmth till the kimchi turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Add the bean sprouts and garlic. Prepare dinner, coated, for 3 – 4 minutes. Don’t open the lid whereas the bean sprouts are being cooked, or the uncooked bean odor will linger even after cooked. As soon as the bean sprouts are cooked, modify the seasoning, if wanted, by including salt and pepper.
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Add the scallions and boil for one more minute. Serve individually with a bowl of rice, or serve it over the rice in a bowl.
Notes
Kimchi kongnamul guk retains nicely within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If frozen, the feel of soybean sprouts might get stringy or powerful.
This recipe was initially posted in January 2013. I’ve up to date it right here with new images, extra info and minor modifications to the recipe.
