Korean Bean Sprouts

After eating kimchi for several days in a row, I needed a change in side dish.  I wanted to find something super easy to make while at the same time, sort of have that slight bite and crunch that kimchi does.  My answer - bean sprouts.

It's basically flavored with typical Korean side dish flavorings - garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and maybe some pepper flakes.  Still though, it's a nice savory side dish that adds great flavor and texture when you add it to something like a rice and meat dish.  The thing you might have to keep in mind for this is to not boil the bean sprouts for too long because it gets soft pretty quickly.

And if you're not one to finish a pound of bean sprouts in one sitting, I put the rest of mine in a canning jar.  I'd say it should last fine for about a week.  Afterwards, it all gets a bit soft.

Salted bean sprouts

Seasonings: garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, fish sauce, sesame oil


Ready for packaging

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of bean sprouts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 minced or grated into paste
• 1 stalk scallion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon of hot pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

Directions:

1. In a pot, bring 3/4 cup water to boil.  Put bean sprouts in with salt and a clove of smashed garlic.  Boil for 3 minutes until cooked but still slightly crunchy.  Drain.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix bean sprouts, garlic, hot pepper flakes, green onion, fish sauce, and sesame oil.
3. Bean sprouts can be stored in a canning jar for a couple days or served immediately as a side dish.