Vegetable side dishes can be the dynamite that brings color, texture, and extra nutrients to a meal. It’s an extra bonus if they are also easy to prepare and economical, like this Korean-inspired Bean Sprout Salad! I love serving this refreshing salad when I grab a bag of bean sprouts from the market. It goes with just about everything, like BBQ, Japanese meals, or any Asian-style meal. Sometimes, I use it to fill my kids’ bento lunch boxes. Since the salad stores well in the refrigerator for a few days, you can prep ahead and make a big batch. Let’s make some this week!
What is Bean Sprout Salad?
Bean sprout salad is a simple dish made with blanched bean sprouts seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt. There are many variations where you can add gochugaru (Korean chili powder) for a spicy kick or sesame seeds for a nutty flavor. The Japanese call this dish moyashi no “namuru“ (もやしのナムル). This dish originated in Korea and it’s called sukju-namul. Namul (나물) refers to a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. We enjoy many Korean and Korean-inspired dishes like this. On hot summer days, I like to make bean sprout salad ahead of time and chill it in the refrigerator before serving. If you make mostly Asian food at home, there’s nothing that this salad cannot pair with.
Ingredients for This Recipe
Bean sprouts Green onion/scallion Seasonings: minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, , toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and salt
How to Make Bean Sprout Salad
Combine the seasonings in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. Blanch the bean sprouts for 1–1½ minutes. Drain well. While the bean sprouts are still hot, add them to the bowl with seasonings. Add the sliced green onion and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Cooking Tips
Remove the brown & stringy roots of the sprouts — If you were one of the Asian kids who had to help in the kitchen growing up, you probably were tasked with removing the roots from bean sprouts. It was my least favorite among all the prep work I had to do! Now, the stringy roots of bean sprouts are edible and nutritious, so why do we go through the hassle of removing them? Well, it’s simply because bean sprouts taste much better without them. You will notice the cleaner flavor and texture when you eat them raw or with simple seasonings. I will leave the roots if I use the sprouts for different recipes, but not for this salad.
Blanch bean sprouts for 1.5 minutes — This depends on each person’s preference, but my suggestion is to cook for just one and a half minutes. After draining, the bean sprouts will continue to cook with the remaining heat. You can adjust the timing slightly, but it should be 1 to 2 minutes.
Drain water well — You don’t want to dilute the seasonings, so drain well before adding bean sprouts to the sauce. Also, bean sprouts tend to go bad fast, so avoid soaking them in water, especially if you want to keep them a bit longer.
What to Serve with Bean Sprout Salad
As mentioned, you can serve the Bean Sprout Salad with many Japanese and Asian meals, but here are some of my favorites for you to explore:
Honey Soy Chicken Kimchi Fried Rice Garlic Miso Chicken Wings Garlic Steak Rice Asian BBQ Spread
Other Delicious Variations
Spicy Bean Sprout Salad Bean Sprout and Spinach Namul
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on Jan 23, 2011. It was updated with new images on June 5, 2017, and republished with new step-by-step images and more helpful content on May 28, 2024.
