Kongnamul bap (Soybean Rice) Recipe

Kongnamula bap (콩나물밥) is essentially steamed rice cooked with soybeans and other ingredients. It’s an easy and hearty meal you can make ahead of time!

Kongnamul bap is a simple Korean recipe. I grew up eating it at a Korean church in Atlanta. The moms put the rice, soybean sprouts, and ground beef in industrial rice cookers. It did the work while the moms went into service. By lunchtime, the dish was done!

I loved the rice with the sauce. That’s what really makes the dish. It’s primarily soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, sesame seed oil and seeds, and gochugaru (red pepper flakes).

Prep Time

While the recipe is simple, it requires some prep time if you make it from the stove. The rice needs to be thoroughly rinsed and soaked in water for a few minutes.

The ends of bean sprouts are generally snapped off. Some people don’t do this.

Once all the ingredients are prepped, you just need to throw them into the rice cooker or a large pot!

Storing the rice

Store any leftover rice in Tupperware and put them in the fridge. When ready to eat, just scoop the rice into a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up!

Try kongnamul bap

Kongnamul Bap (Soybean rice)

A simple and hearty rice with soybeans

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Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups soybean sprouts Make sure to rinse before use
• 2 cups short-grain white rice
• ~1 1/4 cups water

Ground Beef

• 1.5 lbs ground beef Can also use ground chicken or turkey
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce for the rice

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp Sugar, Korean plum syrup (maesil-cheong), or honey I use maesil-cheong (Korean plum syrup) for this. You can find it at Korean grocery stores or online.
• 1 tsp cloves garlic, minced
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp gochugaru (Course Korean red pepper powder)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp Roasted sesame seeds

Method

 

1. Rinse and drain the rice 5–7 times under cold water, until the water runs mostly clear.
   2 cups short-grain white rice
2. Add the rice to the rice cooker pot and pour in the water, using about ¼ cup less than usual since the bean sprouts release moisture as they cook. I fill the water just until it slightly passes my third finger knuckle as a guide.
   ~1 1/4 cups water
3. Layer the soybean sprouts and mushrooms (if using) over the rice. Do not stir — keep the vegetables layered on top so they steam as the rice cooks.
   1 1/2 – 2 cups soybean sprouts
4. Cook on the multigrain setting at high pressure. (I use a Cuckoo rice cooker for this.)
5. In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce. Set it aside.
   3 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 – 1 tbsp Sugar, Korean plum syrup (maesil-cheong), or honey, 1 tsp cloves garlic, minced, 3 green onions, finely chopped, 1 tbsp gochugaru (Course Korean red pepper powder), 1 tsp Roasted sesame seeds, 1 tsp sesame oil
6. Next, drizzle a little cooking oil into a pan and let it heat for about a minute. Add the beef and break it up with a spatula, cooking until it’s fully crumbled and evenly browned.
   1.5 lbs ground beef, salt and pepper to taste
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Once the rice is finished cooking, gently fold the vegetables into the rice until everything is evenly combined.
9. Top the rice with the beef and spoon over the sauce. Mix everything together and enjoy!