Steaming Mung Bean Sprouts for 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds: A Recipe to Preserve Crunchy Texture

Mung bean sprouts, which frequently appear as a holiday vegetable dish, vary greatly in texture depending on the cooking method. If boiled in water, they easily become tough or mushy, but by utilizing the steaming method with water vapor, one can maximize the crunchy texture. According to the Kim Dae-seok Chef TV video, the keys to mung bean sprouts lie in the steaming time, the seasoning blend, and utilizing the remaining moisture at the end.

A Mung Bean Sprout Recipe Steamed for 2 Minutes and 30 Seconds Instead of Boiling

When cooking 400g of mung bean sprouts, the most important step is 'steaming' rather than 'boiling.' Place the cleaned mung bean sprouts in a pot, make a hollow in the center, and pour in 1 cup (200mL) of water. A point of caution here is not to add salt to the water. The video explains that adding salt to the water when steaming the sprouts can make them tough. Close the lid, and once the steam begins to rise, steam them for exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

Once cooking is finished, pour the sprouts onto a sieve immediately to cool the heat. The accompanying carrots (30g) and chives (6 stalks) are cooked using a method where they are briefly dipped in the hot water left over after steaming the sprouts to transfer only the heat. The precaution here is that this should not be a process of rinsing the ingredients in water, but rather a degree of lightly cooking them by dipping them in hot water. This way, the natural color and texture of the ingredients can be preserved.

Seasoning Blend and Secrets for Creating Moist Umami Flavor

The key to seasoning is adjusting it so as not to ruin the color of the sprouts. The seasoning ingredients used are 1/2 spoon of minced garlic, 1 spoon of soup soy sauce, 1/3 spoon of salt, 1 spoon of sesame oil, and 1 spoon of sesame seeds. In particular, caution is required as adding too much soup soy sauce can turn the color of the mung bean sprouts black. Add only a light spoon of sesame oil and mix with the seasoning.

The final secret to increasing perfection is 'moisture maintenance.' When mixing the sprouts with the blanched carrots and chives in the seasoning, add a little more of the water that was used when steaming the sprouts earlier. By doing this, the seasoned vegetables do not dry out and maintain a moist state, resulting in mung bean sprouts where you can simultaneously feel a moist and crunchy texture in your mouth.