Kongnamul-guk

Name: Kongnamul-guk
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1500 ml water; 1 kombu (dried kelp), about 10 cm square; 300 g soybean sprouts, rinsed, any loose hulls removed; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp salt; 2 spring onions, sliced; ½ tsp red chilli flakes (optional); 1 green chilli, sliced (optional)

Vegetarian

콩나물국 · Kongnamul-guk

A clean, light Korean soup of crunchy soybean sprouts in a kelp broth with garlic and spring onion — a home staple and a famous hangover cure.

Kongnamul-guk is a Korean soup from South Korea, ready in about 30 minutes and made with soybean sprouts, kombu (dried kelp) and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Bowl of spicy bean sprout soup with rice and spring onion — Photo: by denver935 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 102

Ingredients

4 servings

1500 ml Water (opens in a new tab)
1 (10 g) Kombu (dried kelp) (opens in a new tab), about 10 cm squareMany cooks also add a handful of dried anchovies to the stock.
300 g Soybean sprouts (opens in a new tab), rinsed, any loose hulls removedContains soy
3 cloves (12 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), minced
1 tbsp (17 g) Soy sauce (opens in a new tab)Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) is lighter in colour and saltier.Swap: TamariContains soy, wheat, gluten
1 tsp (6 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
2 (30 g) Spring onions (opens in a new tab), sliced
½ tsp (1 g) Red chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) (optional)Gochugaru, for a spicy version.
1 (6 g) Green chilli (opens in a new tab), sliced (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Put the water and kelp (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab), bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the kelp.
- 12 min
- medium heat
- Saucepan (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels
2
Step 2
Add the sprouts, cover the pan and boil for 6 minutes without lifting the lid.
- 6 min
- medium-high heat
Opening the lid partway through is said to give the sprouts a raw, beany smell.
3
Step 3
Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer 3 minutes. Add the spring onion (opens in a new tab), chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) and green chilli (opens in a new tab), then serve.
- 4 min

About this dish

Origin: South Korea · Well documentedMore food from South Korea
Dish: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Side dishes
Cooking method: Boiled, Simmered
Taste: mild, fresh, savoury, garlicky
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Budget-friendly · Everyday · One-pot
Cook more with: Soybean sprouts · Kombu (dried kelp) · Garlic · Soy sauce · Spring onion
Techniques: Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
Contains: Soyfrom soybean sprouts, soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

102 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 469 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 34%
Carbohydrate 30%
Fat 37%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	102 kcal	22 kcal
Protein	10.5 g	2.2 g
Carbohydrate	9.2 g	2 g
Net carbohydrate	8 g	1.7 g
Sugars	—	—
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.1 g	0.2 g
Fat	5.1 g	1.1 g
Saturated fat	0.7 g	0.2 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	842 mg	180 mg
Salt equivalent	2.1 g	0.4 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 417 mg
Calcium: 105 mg
Iron: 1.9 mg
Magnesium: 70 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 5 µg
Vitamin C: 14 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 139 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: red chilli flakes, green chilli.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Snap off any brown root tips and hulls while rinsing the sprouts for a cleaner-tasting soup.

Common mistakes

Overcooking the sprouts — they should stay crunchy, so serve as soon as the seasoning goes in.

Serve with

Part of a Korean table with rice, kimchi and banchan.

Storage

Keeps 2 days chilled; also eaten cold in summer.

Reheating

Reheat briefly so the sprouts stay crunchy.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 28 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Kombu (dried kelp), about 10 cm square1 piece · 10 g
Soybean sprouts, rinsed, any loose hulls removed300 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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