Kongnamul Gukbap (Jeonju Soybean-Sprout Rice Soup)

Name: Kongnamul Gukbap (Jeonju Soybean-Sprout Rice Soup)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 10 Dried anchovies; 1 piece Dried kelp; 80 g Korean radish; 700 ml Water; 200 g Soybean sprouts (kongnamul); 300 g Cooked short-grain rice; 2 cloves Garlic; 1 tbsp Salted shrimp (saeujeot); ½ tsp Salt; 30 g Green onion; 2 Eggs; 1 tsp Gochugaru; 60 g Aged kimchi

콩나물국밥

Romanization: kongnamul-gukbap

Rice and crisp soybean sprouts in a clear, savory broth, finished with egg, salted shrimp and kimchi. Jeonju's market breakfast and morning-after bowl.

Serves: 2
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min

RegionJeonju · Jeolla

Jump to recipe

Recipe

Ingredients · Serves 2

10 Dried anchoviesguts and heads removed
1 pieceDried kelpabout 10 cm square
80 gKorean radishin two chunks
700 mlWater
200 gSoybean sprouts (kongnamul)rinsed, roots trimmed
300 gCooked short-grain riceabout 2 small bowls; day-old is fine
2 clovesGarlicminced
1 tbspSalted shrimp (saeujeot)plus its brine, to taste; not counted in the nutrition estimate
½ tspSaltor to taste
30 gGreen onionsliced
2 Eggs
1 tspGochugaruoptional
60 gAged kimchichopped, optional

Method

Technique: Making Guk and Jjigae, Making Yuksu: Anchovy-Kelp Stock

Step 1: Make the stock: simmer the anchovies, kelp and radish in the water for 10 minutes; remove the kelp, then simmer 5 minutes more and strain, keeping the radish.
Step 2: Return the stock to a clean pot, add the garlic and sprouts, cover and bring to a boil. Keep the lid on for the first 5 minutes, which helps keep the grassy smell of raw sprouts out of the soup. Cook 8–10 minutes total.
Step 3: Season the broth with the salted shrimp and its brine and a pinch of salt, tasting as you go.
Step 4: Divide the rice between two earthenware or deep bowls. Ladle the hot broth and sprouts over the rice, pour it back into the pot, and repeat two or three times, to warm the rice and leave the sprouts crisp (*toreom*).
Step 5: Return the bowls to the stove with the broth for a final bubble, add the kimchi, and crack in an egg per bowl. Simmer for 1–2 minutes, until the whites are set; or poach the eggs separately and serve beside the bowl.
Step 6: Scatter with green onion and gochugaru and serve immediately with extra salted shrimp and kimchi.

Origin & History

Jeonju's soybean-sprout gukbap is old enough to have a written reputation. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture notes that the magazine Byeolgeongon introduced it in December 1929 as a Jeonju specialty, under the name takbaegi-guk and ranked beside Pyongyang's eobokjang-guk and Seoul's seolleongtang. The magazine praised the savory flavor that came from only bean sprouts, credited Jeonju's water for the sprouts' taste, and described it as a morning-after soup. It reports that in those days the soup was taken with takbaegi, a rough rice liquor, and a bowl of rice, all three together for five jeon.

The dish belongs to market life. A Newsis feature describes it as a breakfast of traders and porters, cheap, filling and well suited to cold leftover rice reheated in hot broth. Jeonju was known for sprouts grown with good water, especially around Gyodong, where sprout farming was common. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says Jeonju sprouts are grown from small black rat-eye soybeans and taste best at about 5 to 6 cm. The 1929 version was a clear sprout soup; today's has a stock of radish, green onion and dried anchovy.

For the soup that gukbap grew from, see kongnamul-guk; for sprouts in general, see soybean sprouts.

Key Ingredients

Nutrition

Estimated, per serving (½ of recipe, excluding the broth)
Calories	~398 kcal
Protein	~24 g
Fat	~12.6 g
Carbohydrates	~53.5 g
Fiber	~3.2 g
Sodium	~723 mg

Notable forFolate · Potassium · Protein

Estimated by summing USDA FoodData Central values for raw soybean sprouts (FDC 169284), 100 g raw medium-grain rice (FDC 168879; about 300 g cooked), whole eggs (FDC 171287), scallion, garlic, cabbage kimchi (FDC 170392), table salt, red pepper (FDC 170932, standing in for gochugaru) and sesame seeds, divided by two. USDA lists about 172 µg folate and 484 mg potassium per 100 g of raw soybean sprouts. Anchovy-kelp stock and salted shrimp are not counted, so sodium is a floor; a bowl of broth adds a good deal more. Actual values vary with ingredients, portion size and preparation.

Health Benefits

Vitamin C in winter: the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture points out that soybean sprouts supplied vitamin C when fresh vegetables were scarce, and advises cooking sprout soup for no more than about 20 minutes because heat destroys vitamin C easily.
Folate and potassium: USDA lists raw soybean sprouts at about 172 µg of folate and 484 mg of potassium per 100 g.
Morning-after tradition: it is long associated with hangovers. It is a light, warm, hydrating bowl, but that reputation is traditional, not proven.

Regional Variations

Toreom style: hot broth is poured over the rice and sprouts in the bowl and drained, again and again, so the sprouts stay crisp and the bowl lands at a comfortable temperature. The Newsis feature credits one restaurant with popularizing this method and notes that it takes more effort than simply boiling.
Boiled (kkeurineun) style: rice, sprouts and egg are simmered together in the bowl, producing a thicker, hotter soup. The same feature credits one long-running Jeonju restaurant as the first to add egg.
Egg two ways: the encyclopedia describes a rolling-boil version with the egg stirred in, and a gentler version where the egg is served as a suran (poached egg).
Sides and drink: salted shrimp (saeujeot), other pickles, seaweed and suran are the usual extras. The encyclopedia says that moju, a spiced drink made from makgeolli, completes the meal in Jeonju.
Soy-paste or beef-broth soups: the plain kongnamul-guk can be made with beef broth or with doenjang, as the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture notes.

Pairings

Sources

Last updated October 13, 2026