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Kongnamul is one of the popular dishes from the Korean cuisine which refers to a side dish, known as seasoned banchan, a dish which is prepared with the help of soybean sprouts. Also, in Korean language, the term Kongnamul implies sprouts, which is one of the main ingredients in the preparation of bibimbap, a popular Korean mixed meal made up of rice eggs, meat, mushrooms, and soybean sprouts as the essential ingredients.
History of kongnamul
Though the precise origin of kongnamul is not known, it is believed that the dish is being consumed since the early Goryeo era or the Three Kingdom Period. Records of the soybean sprouts are found in one of the documents of Hyangyak Gugeupbang from the Goryeo era, where the details of sprouts cultivation have been mentioned. It happened when the soldiers during the founding of the country were saved from starvation by cultivating bean sprouts.
Kongnamul Recipe – Preparation
Preparing kongnamul dish is not at all difficult. The sprouts are boiled in water after removing the bean skin and the roots of the soybean spouts. The water is then drained and the spouts are garnished with soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic, and finely chopped green onions. Chili powder is sprinkled at the top of the prepared dish.
Kongnamul Recipe – Uses
There are numerous uses of Kongnamul dish. This Korean dish is used in various other dishes ranging from rice dishes to seafood based dishes. Here are a few uses of the sprout based Korean dish.
• Kongnamulguk – it is a soup made of sprouts.
• Kongnamulbap - it is a rice based dish in which rice and sprouts are cooked together. The dish is normally eaten along with seasoned sauce that is prepared from soy sauce and sesame oil.
• Agujjim – it is steamed agwi fish prepared with kongnamul and mideodeok.
• Mideodeokjjim – it is a dish that is made up of bracken, steamed mideodeok, and kongnamul, and is eaten along with a spicy seasoning sauce.
• Kongnamulgukbap – it is a sprout soup which contains rice. This dish is one of the specialties from Jeonju region.
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