| Sukjunamul | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 숙주나물 / 녹두나물 |
| Revised Romanization | sukju namul / nokdu namul |
| McCune–Reischauer | sukchu namul /noktu namul |
Sukjunamul refers to a seasoned banchan (side dish) made from mung bean sprouts in Korean cuisine. However, the sprouts themselves are also called sukjunamul in the Korean language. It is a common banchan, as well as a common ingredient in bokkeumbap (Korean fried rice) and mandu (Korean dumplings).[1]
In order to prepare the dish, after the roots and skin are removed from the sprouts, the sprouts are parboiled, drained, and then seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, chopped green onions, sesame seeds, pepper and minced garlic.
The dish is also sometimes called nokdunamul because the sprout grows from nokdu (녹두, mung bean). It is said that the first two syllables of the name, sukju derives from Shin Suk-ju (신숙주 申叔舟), one of the prominent scholars who participated in creating Hangul. Unlike his colleagues (later called Sayuksin) who had all pledged allegiance to King Danjeong, Shin Suk-ju betrayed them in favor of Danjeong's uncle, Grand Prince Suyang (later King Sejo), who usurped the throne from his nephew and had him killed.[2].
There are several theories to why sukjunamul was named after him. Firstly, because the people regarded Shin's behaviors unethical and immoral, they named the sprout which happens to go bad and spoil very easily.[3] Another theory says that sukjunamul was named thus because when making mandu, sukjunamul is smashed, like the feeling one projects in thinking of Shin Suk-Ju.[4] A third theory: when Shin Suk-Ju held the position of Yeonguijeong (Prime Minister) a great famine came over the land, so Shin had mung beans imported from China to be eaten like the more common kongnamul. The name is to said to be given in his honor, a theory that has a completely different point of view than the previous theories.[3]