Kongnamul-guk (Bean Sprout Anchovy Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Kongnamul-guk is a clear Korean soup built on bean sprouts, water, soup soy sauce, and garlic, and its central technique is boiling the sprouts with the lid firmly closed for seven minutes.
Read more
The reason behind the closed lid is a long-standing Korean kitchen belief: the compounds responsible for the raw, beany smell in soybean sprouts are volatile, and if the lid is left open, they do not escape with the steam but instead condense back into the pot. Whether the chemistry fully supports this, keeping the lid closed has been the standard method for generations and consistently produces a clean-tasting broth. Green onion goes in at the very end to keep its bright, mild bite without overcooking. Trimming the fine root tails from each sprout improves the texture and presentation, though it does not change the flavor and is often skipped on weekdays. Adding chili flakes and a cracked egg transforms the soup into a spicy, restorative hangover version, and a handful of clams deepens the broth with extra umami. From start to finish the soup takes about fifteen minutes, which makes it one of the fastest soups in the Korean repertoire, and the directness of its flavor -- clean, cool, and vegetal -- is exactly what makes it worth returning to.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Rinse 200g bean sprouts in cold water, gently swishing to remove loose skins, then drain well.
Trim the fine tails only if you want a neater texture, and slice the green onion on a bias.
- 2Control
Pour 700ml water into a pot and bring it to a strong boil over high heat.
Do not add the seasonings before the water boils, because early seasoning can make this clear soup taste heavier and look cloudy.
- 3Control
When the water is boiling hard, add the bean sprouts and cover the pot immediately.
Keep the heat high enough for a steady boil and cook for 7 minutes without opening the lid at any point.
- 4Control
After 7 minutes, open the lid and lower the heat to medium.
Add 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and 1 teaspoon minced garlic, then simmer for 3 minutes so the broth seasons without overcooking the sprouts.
- 5Season
Taste the broth and adjust with up to 0.5 teaspoon salt, adding it gradually because soup soy sauce already brings salinity.
For a spicy version, stir in 0.5 teaspoon gochugaru until it disperses evenly.
- 6Finish
Add the sliced green onion and cook for just 1 more minute, keeping its color and mild bite.
Serve immediately when the sprouts are crisp-tender and the broth tastes clean, clear, and lightly seasoned.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Kongnamul-guk prepares a clear broth from bean sprouts and anchovy stock with soup soy sauce.
- Finish cue
- Serve immediately when the sprouts are crisp-tender and the broth tastes clean, clear, and lightly seasoned.
- Avoid this
- Do not add the seasonings before the water boils, because early seasoning can make this clear soup taste heavier and look cloudy.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
20min, 7 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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Tips
Estimated nutrition (per serving)
Variations
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