Yes, that’s right… Kongnamool.  Kongnamool is a Korean dish made with boiled soy bean sprouts.

Photo by Junie

The inspiration for this segment in the Best of Summer series comes from my Soul Sister, Junie… thanks Sister for participating 🙂  Your contribution is much appreciated and delicious!

Junie simply said this about Kongnamool, “A summertime staple”.

You will notice that the recipe calls for shoyu.  Trust me this is not an unfamiliar ingredient.  Remembering my logic class from many moons ago:  Shoyu is to the Japanese as Soy Sauce is to the Chinese.

Not to confuse anything, but I feel it’s worth noting that Tamari is wheat free soy sauce which makes it a great option for those with wheat sensitivities.

Junie adds snap peas, which she splits, to her version of kongnamool.  Splitting the snap peas is actually a brilliant idea as then the umami of the dressing coats not only the outside of the snap pea but penetrates inside for an amazing bite.

Photo by Junie

Remember that it’s okay to play with the proportions of the dressing ingredients to strike the right balance of salty, sweet and spicy to suit your palate.  (We are, after all, striving for our own version of a Palatable Life!)

When I made Kongnamool, I used mung bean sprouts rather than soy bean sprouts simply because I had just recently sprouted mung beans.  So technically, I didn’t make Kongnamool.  You see kong is the name for soy beans and sukju is the name for mung beans.   Mung bean sprouts, while used in Korean cuisine, are more common to Chinese dishes.  On a nutritional note, bean sprouts contain fresh vegetable protein and fiber, as well as vitamins C and B… so load up!

Couple Kongnamool with a simply prepared piece of grilled fish and call dinner simply delicious and done!

Note to self:  work on your presentation skills 🙂

Best of Summer Part II Kongnamool… thanks for visiting Palatable Life.

Be inspired,
Diane