Have you ever wondered how to be both healthy and keep cool at the same time? Ice cream is sweet but sickening… coffee ruins your digestive system… you want a meal, but it’s too hot for soup.
If so, then you’ve come to the perfect place.
In the blisteringly hot summers of Korea that only get worse in the center of Seoul, there lies a hidden summer delicacy that’s both healthy, filling, chilly, and culturally exploring: kong-guksu, also known as traditional cold soybean noodles. In many families, especially those that live in rural areas, it’s a summer delicacy enjoyed frequently to help beat the heat while having a nice, fulfilling meal with the side benefit of being vegan. Even better, it’s simple to make, and completely customizable according to your needs.
Ingredients
- 300mL soybeans
- A pinch of salt
- Vermicelli or somen (thin) noodles
- Water
- Ice (optional)
- Nuts (optional)
- Thinly sliced cucumber or an egg (optional)
- Sesame powder (optional)
Raw Japanese Ramen is on a wooden table
Instructions
- Start by rinsing your beans and picking out any flawed ones. Submerge your beans completely in water, and leave them to soak for about 6 hours.
- After 6 hours, rinse them with water twice and filter them clean using a sieve.
- Pour 600mL water into a pot and submerged the beans completely. Start cooking them over a strong fire for about 5 minutes, making sure to keep the pot lid completely open.
- When it starts to froth, add a pinch of salt, and turn the heat off once the beans taste relatively soft and squishy.
- Wash the beans in cold water, and rub them together with your hands. The shells of the beans should be removed this way easily.
- Run the bean and water through a sieve, so that only the peeled beans are left.
- Add 800mL of water and beans in a mixer, and mix until the mixture is smooth and there are no chunks left. Add water according to your preferences – more water results in a more watery taste, while less gives a stronger, nuttier taste while leaving a rougher texture in the mouth! You may also add nuts if it’s to your liking.
- Pour the mixture into a container and leave it in the fridge to cool.
- Cook the noodles until soft in boiling water and sieve them out.
- Finally, add the noodles to a bowl and the soybean soup from the fridge. Add a few cubes of ice, decorate the top with thinly sliced cucumber and sesame powder, and add salt according to your tastes!
Please note that this completely organic soybean soup can only last in the fridge for about 1-2 days, so make sure to gobble it up as quickly as you can. Otherwise, enjoy!
Image: Pexels, Freepik, Korean Tourism Organization
