I’ve been a little busy, but I have been taking photos! This is one of my favorite soups. It is so easy to make, healthy and delicious! I will also note how to simply make it a “Beansprout Soup” for those who can’t handle the heat. ^.~ Beansprouts may not be one of your top favorite veggies, but both the kimch’i version and plain version of this soup might change your mind!
What I Use:
♪ Beansprouts
♪ Salt
♪ Soy Sauce
♪ Soup Broth (Korean Beef Soup Broth – Dashida) (Many prefer to use the anchovy broth, but my husband and I just love this one so much.)
♪ Kimch’i
Step 1:
Fill a pot with hot water (depending on how much soup you care for). Rinse a generous amount of beansprouts and add it to the water. You don’t want to overload the water with beansprouts, but it should be enough that you can get some with every bite, if you so desire. Also add salt to help the water boil.
Step 2:
This can be done before or after the beansprouts boil, but I like to do it before so they really soak in the flavor. I add usually around one spoonful (1/2-3/4 for Beansprout Soup) of soy sauce and one spoonful of the beef soup broth (pictured a couple of steps down). For Beansprout Soup, this is basically all you need to do! For either soup, let it come to a boil and cook roughly 10-15 minutes so the veggies can soften.
☆If you are stopping here, and it tastes a little plain, you may just need to add more salt than you originally did to allow it to boil. Yum!☆
–Beansprouts do have a pronounced smell while they are cooking, though it isn’t a bad one by any means. You may want to cover the pot while you are bringing it to a boil to keep in the smell, but be sure to keep an eye so that the water doesn’t start spilling out.–
Step 3:
After the soup boils for a bit, it’s time to add the kimch’i! (Which does have a strong smell, of course. ^.~) This is really to taste. Again, I like to add enough where I know I won’t run out of bites to eat after three spoonfuls. You may need to cut some pieces up if they are large. The second pictures shows me running some under water. I like to “wash off” some of the spice for some of the pieces I add to control the spiciness. That way, I am add more kimch’i without setting on fire while eating!
–The best kind of kimch’i to use for this is kimch’i that has gone a little “sour,” so-to-say. Fresh kimch’i tastes great, too, but the “sour” kimch’i just adds a little something!–
Step 4:
I mentioned that this can be done is step two, but in the particular instance, I did it after I added the kimch’i. This is the soup base I added. When making Kimch’i Beansprout Soup, I like to add a very full spoonful because it mixes with the spices so well. For simple Beansprout Soup, I add a bit less than this so it does not overpower the overall taste of the soup.
Step 5:
Let it boil some more and taste to see if you feel it requires more salt, soup base or what have you. You have to be careful on how much salt you add to start with this because some kinds of kimch’i that you can buy already have a lot of sea salt in them which will certainly enhance the saltiness of the soup. Other than that, you’re done and ready to enjoy!! (Shown here with my famous Spicy Korean Chicken. ^.~)
