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You are here: Home > Archives > Recipes > Korean Recipes > Kimchi > Bean sprout Kimchee, Haven’t you heard of it yet?

Bean sprout Kimchee, Haven’t you heard of it yet?

May 13, 2010 by Holly Ford 38 Comments

 

 Okay, I assume everyone who enjoys Korean food should have tried Kimchee, right?
It was either cabbage or radish Kimchee, correct? Maybe some of you(the lucky ones) might have tried cucumber version?

Well, have you ever heard of Bean sprout Kimchee? Perhaps you haven’t!… I am not talking about the bean sprout side dish, the Banchan.

FYI, there are over 200 different types of Kimchee in Korea. We, Koreans, turn pretty much anything that sprouts on the ground into Kimchee. Not just only cabbages or radishes we use cucumbers, chives, green onions, eggplants, perilla leaves, chili leaves, garlic leaves, sweet potato leaves, etc… and bean sprouts. (The list will go on but I just can’t translate all those names of leaves into English)

 Bean sprout Kimchee is common dish in southwest region(Chul-la Do) of South Korea and also up northern part(Ham-Gyoung Do) of North Korea. Northern Koreans add mustard and vinegar to the bean sprouts along with fish sauce to make their Kimchee more tangy, and Southwestern Koreans use fish sauce only.

Today I will show you how easy it is to make bean sprout Kimchee…far easier than cabbage Kimchee, and you will love the taste. You will like the crunchy texture and the flavors from either fresh or fermented. After all Kimchee is fermented pickled vegetable without using vinegar. This bean sprout Kimchee can last in your fridge for eternity but honestly, it won’t last that long. Why? because you will eat them up within a week!

So, do you call yourself a Korean food lover? Then you should try this recipe at least once in your lifetime.

 
Here are what you will need.

Bean sprouts, Korean radish, Korean fish sauce (I use two different kinds but you can use just one. Anchovy sauce is a good option), Korean chili flakes, Asian chives, green onions, garlic, ginger, plum extract (or sugar)

First, slice the radish thinly (peel first of course).
Thinner than 1/8″ if you can. Can you handle that? Good!
After the slicing, cut them into thin strips.

I strongly suggest to use Korean radishes. They hold their crunchy texture in the Kimchee very well. I found daikon radish gets mushy easily.

Place the radish in a mixing bowl, add salt and sugar.
Mix well.
Set aside for 30 minutes to get pre-seasoned.

This will help the radish to extract its moisture and prevent your Kimchee from becoming too watery later.

Your radish will look like this after 30minutes.

Looks submissive but still crunchy!

 
Rinse well and drain.
I would squeeze them out gently with my hands to get rid of extra moisture.

Set aside.

Meanwhile place cleaned bean sprouts in a pot with 1/4C water over medium heat.
Cook until steam comes out from the pot, turn the heat to low.
Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Do not open the lid during cooking!

Let them cool and set aside.

For detailed instruction on how to cook bean sprouts properly, click here.

Cut chives into 2″ long slices.

 Finely mince garlic and ginger.

 
I had a small piece of carrot running around in my house so I added to the dish.
You don’t have to.
But actually, I kinda like the carrot in the dish.

Yields nice color and texture…

Place the radish back in the bowl and add chili flakes, fish sauce, garlic, ginger.
Mix well in Korean way. Use your hands!
The massaging method I always talk about when mixing vegetables,

….gently squeeze them as you are mixing around.

Throw bean sprouts, chives and carrots in the bowl.

Add more chili flake, plum extract(or sugar), and sesame seeds.

Massaging method again to mix.
“The flavor is in your hands…”
that’s what my mother used to say when I was learning how to mix vegetables with hands.

Important skill to master!

 Lastly, drizzle sesame oil and toss well.

You can eat immediately to enjoy fresh flavor.

Or keep in the room temperature for a half to one day before you put in the fridge to enjoy perfectly fermented flavor next day.

Note:
Always store your Kimchee in a airtight glass or metal container.
If you have to use plastic kind, let it be the designated container only for Kimchee.
Plastic absorbs odor and you don’t want the smell mixed in other food.
Also the fermentation process creates gas, which means smell!
Keep a box or two of baking soda in your fridge when you store Kimchee.

This will get rid of fridge Kimchee smell.


Honestly I can eat a bowl of rice with just this Kimchee alone.
So, you like Kimchee? 
But afraid of all the time and effort of making cabbage Kimchee?

This will be the answer for you.


Bean sprout Kimchee

Holly Ford
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 40 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g 14oz bean sprouts cleaned
  • 400 g Korean radish about 1/3-1/2 length, peeled
  • 2 t salt + 2t sugar
  • 1/2 bunch Asian chives or 1 bunch green onions cut into 2" long
  • 1/2 medium carrots peeled, optional
  • 3 T Korean chili flakes gochut-garu
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced
  • 1 t ginger finely minced
  • 1 1/2 T Korean anchovy sauce*
  • 1 T Korean fish sauce*
  • 2 t plum extract or 1t sugar
  • 1 T roasted sesame seeds
  • 1 t sesame oil
  • *You can use just one kind of Korean fish sauce and increase the amount to 2 1/2T

Instructions
 

  • Thinly slice the radish, thinner than 1/8", and then cut them into thin sticks. Place them in a bowl and add 2t salt and 2t sugar. Mix well, set aside for 30 minutes. They will get wilted and seasoned. Rinse and drain. Squeeze the radish to remove extra moisture. Set aside.
  • Meanwhile place bean sprouts in a pot with 1/4C water over medium heat. Cover with lid and cook until the steam comes out from the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook 3-4 more minutes. Do not open the lid during cooking. Drain the sprouts in a colander and let them cool.
  • Place radish in a large mixing bowl and add 2T chili flakes, garlic, ginger, fish sauces. Mix well by gentle massaging motion. Return the bean sprouts to the bowl, add chives, carrots, rest of chili flakes(1T), plum axtract, sesame seeds. Mix again with same gentle massaging motion to mingle the flavor into the ingredients.
  • Taste it to see if seasoned well. You can adjust amount of fish sauce as you like.
  • Drizzle sesame oil and toss well.
  • You can serve right away or keep in the room temperature for a half day(or whole day during winter time) to let it fermented, and then store in the fridge to serve next day.
  • Serve chilled to enjoy the flavor.
  • Note: Store your Kimchee in a airtight glass or metal container in the fridge.

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Filed Under: Archives, Kimchi, Korean Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: Bean Sprouts, Kimchi

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Comments

  1. tigerfish says

    May 13, 2010 at 5:11 pm

    Nice step-by-step photos. Seems that the preparation is tedious – lots of slicing, cutting to do!

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    May 13, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    THANKS…
    FOR THE EFFORT
    AND FOR YOUR KINDNESS TO SHARE
    LIKE YOUR BLOG….

    Reply
  3. beyondkimchee says

    May 13, 2010 at 11:37 pm

    @tigerfish
    Compared to real authentic Kimchee preparation, the slicing on this Kimchee is quite minimal, just 1/2 length of radish only. I like to slice veges!

    Reply
  4. TeKo says

    May 14, 2010 at 8:42 am

    I just discovered your blog and I must say it is already one of my favorites. This particular recipe looks great and I love the pictures and instructions on your recipes. I'm very excited to have found this site!!

    Reply
  5. beyondkimchee says

    May 14, 2010 at 9:27 am

    @TeKo
    Thanks TeKo. It is always nice to hear someone out there enjoy what I love. Hope you can try this recipe.

    Reply
  6. Ellie (Almost Bourdain) says

    May 16, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    Love bean sprout kimchee. Had it once at a korean friend's place. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    May 18, 2010 at 12:26 am

    This recipe sounds fantastic!!! I cannot wait to make it and turn my brother on to the recipe…we love kimchee!

    Reply
  8. beyondkimchee says

    May 18, 2010 at 4:49 am

    @Anonymous
    Great! Hope you and your brother will like it.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    July 13, 2010 at 11:46 am

    Not Kimchi, but Mu-chim. Looks delicious.

    Reply
  10. beyondkimchee says

    July 13, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    @Anonymous
    Yes, it is Kimchee! Please, read my introduction part of this post which explains of this dish. You don't let Muchim dish go fermented. Muchims are far more quick to prepare and don't store longer than 3 days usually. They are meant to be quick side dishes. There are a lot more non-cabbage/radish kimchees than most people know.

    Reply
  11. Cindelicious says

    October 31, 2010 at 8:37 am

    I love Korean food!!! some times I will make Korean for dinner learned from you tube, My son and I use to make Kim-chee together. This looks great and very easy, I will make it soon.

    Reply
  12. hyt says

    April 21, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    Hi, Thank you for your blog -it is personal & informative. I just made the bean sprout kimchee & it turned out pretty good! I didn't have Korean anchovy sauce so I ended up using Thai fish sauce…next time I go to H mart in Vancouver – I will have to see if I can find it. Have a good Easter!

    Reply
  13. Angelica says

    April 26, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    Just made the Bean sprout Kimchee……it turned out great…even the kids love it! YAY!!! Thank you so much <3

    Reply
  14. beyondkimchee says

    April 26, 2011 at 5:40 pm

    Wonderful! I am glad it turned out great. Now you can challenge more labor intensive Kimchee recipe… 🙂

    Reply
  15. Lisa says

    January 19, 2012 at 11:19 am

    Just found your blog from Copenhagen kitchen.  I love your writing style!!! So funny, and so real.  I have never made bean sprout kim chee and now I can't wait. It looks delicious.   Will you one day, show us how to make that delicious crab stew/soup?
    I am half Korean and was born in or near Seoul and adopted at age 5 with my sister. The main thing I remember about Korea is the food, and I can't tell you how important that is to me!
    Thanks!

    Lisa

    Reply
  16. Coconutstout says

    January 19, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    This looks awesome.  I can't wait to try this recipe.

    Reply
  17. beyondkimchee says

    January 19, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    Lisa, I am glad that you found my blog as well. It's funny because I, too, have been thinking about making a crab dish sometime soon. Crab is my favorite seafood! Yes, food is very important to me, too.

    Reply
  18. Jack Isaksson says

    February 17, 2012 at 6:07 pm

    They can also carry salmonella and ecoli when eaten raw. 😀

    Reply
  19. Balm says

    December 13, 2012 at 5:22 am

    Hi Beyonce! Everytime I watch Korean dramas, i wish I could taste all your dishes. Right now, I have not enough ingredients here because I’m living in France (not easy to find) i’ll do it as soon as possible. I hope one day I can get recipe to make “chang chang noodles” I do not know if I write correctly, just a kind of noodles with a black sauce! Thanks

    Reply
    • Holly says

      December 14, 2012 at 5:30 pm

      The noodles is called Jjajangmyeon. One of my childhood favorite and my kids love it, too. I hope you would be able to find some good Korean ingredients soon in France.

      Reply
  20. Balm says

    December 15, 2012 at 8:01 am

    Thanks Holly, infact in my town, It’s easy to find asian ingredients, but Korean once seem not popular here. Just some kinds of instand noodle.I still eat Korean foods by eyes!

    Reply
  21. Krazy says

    July 12, 2013 at 10:50 pm

    I actually tried something like this. Bought kimchi at an oriental store among with bean sprouts that I was going to use with my stir fry but instead I added it to my kimchi. To me kimchi wasn’t that good but the after taste made me crave for some more. I liked the crunchiness of the cabbage and when I was almost out I was looking through my fridge and found the sprouts I had bought and thought why not! Sprouts are crunchy too lol so I put sprouts in there and what can I say I like my kimchi mixed with sprouts! I just went yesterday to buy more kimchi and bought sprouts as well 🙂

    Reply
  22. Esteban says

    August 12, 2013 at 7:34 pm

    Looks great! How long can you keep this kimchi in the fridge? Does it get better as it ages?
    PS: I just made your cabbage kimchi recepie (3-part tutorial). It’s fermenting at RT right now. Can’t wait to try it in a couple of days. Great website and tutorials.

    Reply
    • Holly says

      August 14, 2013 at 1:48 am

      Bean sprout kimchi can last in the fridge about 3 weeks, I would say. It will develope its unique fermented flavor as it ages. Unlike cabbage kimchi, you want to consume soon since the crunch texture might decrease. I hope your cabbage kimchi tastes good by now.

      Reply
  23. michael says

    October 14, 2013 at 7:16 pm

    Looks great , need to find Korean staple. Might be hard in my area .

    Reply
  24. Jason says

    May 18, 2014 at 3:49 am

    In some recipes I’ve seen reference to korean anchovy paste…do you know where I might be able to find this? does it make a difference between sauce vs paste?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      May 20, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      Hi Jason

      I’ve never heard the Korean anchovy paste. I know there is Italian anchovy paste, though. Anchovy sauce is widely available in any Korean store or even online site like amazon.

      Reply
  25. F says

    June 12, 2014 at 5:58 am

    you spelt kimchi incorrectly

    Reply
    • Holly says

      June 12, 2014 at 9:26 am

      Thanks for pointing it out. Have a great day! 🙂

      Reply
  26. chocoholicsunite says

    September 5, 2015 at 1:06 pm

    Holly, is the plum extract in the recipe the same as those used for making the maesil drink?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      September 5, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      Yes, it is the same.

      Reply
  27. Joe says

    December 23, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    This sounds awesome!
    But what is the Korean name of the dish?

    Reply
    • Holly says

      December 23, 2015 at 9:04 pm

      It is called 콩나물김치 (kongnamool kimchi).

      Reply
  28. Irien says

    September 25, 2016 at 5:09 am

    Hi Holly, I just discovered your blog and made your bean sprout kimchee, thank you for the recipe. You recommend to keep it in an airtight container. I have read that the build up of CO2 can blow up the lid and therefore there should be some air flow possible. Did that ever happen to you? Or can I safely put an airtight lid on it? It was sitting in the kitchen for 16 hours and I just moved it to the fridge.

    Reply
    • Holly says

      September 26, 2016 at 8:57 pm

      It never happened to me but I see the point. You have to make sure to leave some space on top inside of container for the kimchi to rise. During the fermentation, gas will release and you will need to have some space for the kimchi to expand. Use an air-tight container for better fermentation.

      Occasionally store bought kimchi jar might overflow with kimchi juice when you open the jar. That is because there was not enough space for the gas. And it will make big stinky mess!
      Hope your kimchi will taste great. Thanks.

      Reply

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Welcome to Beyond Kimchee!

Welcome to Beyond Kimchee

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I am Holly, a native Korean mother and a wife whose favorite place in the house is the KITCHEN. I hope you find lip-smackingly delicious Korean recipes and beyond in my site.

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