Kongguksu (chilled soy milk noodle soup)

Kongguksu is a cold noodle soup that’s served in creamy soy milk. Making soy milk is less work than you might imagine. Soaked soybeans are cooked, then pureed and filtered through a sieve.

The secret to making delicious soy milk for kongguksu is not to overcook the beans so that they retain their natural flavor. More often than not, a small amount of sesame seeds and/or nuts (such as pine nuts, peanuts, almonds and walnuts) are pureed with the soybeans for an extra-nutty flavor.

Nothing beats the summer heat better than a bowl of this icy cold kongguksu!

Ingredients: (4 servings)

● 1 cup dried soybeans (meju kong)

● 4 tablespoons roasted pine nuts (or any other nuts of your choosing)

● 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds (more for garnish)

● Salt to taste 1 small cucumber, julienned

● 1 small tomato, sliced (or watermelon) ― optional

● Somyeon (thin wheat flour noodles) ― about 120 grams per serving

Rinse and soak 1 cup of dried soybeans for 5 to 6 hours or overnight. (Yields a little more than 2 cups of soaked beans.)

Place the beans in a pot. Add enough water to cover the beans. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Drain and place the beans in cold water to cool. Rub the beans with your fingers to remove the skins. Pour out the skins that rise to the top. Add more water, and repeat this process until most of the skins are removed.

In a blender, puree 1/2 of the cooked beans, 2 tablespoons of nuts, and a teaspoon of sesame seeds in about 2 cups of cold water as fine as you can. (The finer it is, the creamier the result will be.) Repeat with the remaining beans. Add water (no more than 1 cup) to adjust the thickness of the liquid.

Run the puree through a fine sieve for a smooth milk-like texture, stirring with a spoon to force it through. (This step is optional.)

Stir in salt to taste. Refrigerate to chill.

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Cook somyeon noodles according to the package instructions (about 3 minutes). Drain quickly and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain again and rinse in icy cold water. Make serving size mounds. Place the mounds in a colander to drain.

Stir up the solids settled on the bottom of the soy milk and pour over the noodles in a serving bowl. Garnish with the julienned cucumbers, tomato pieces and sesame seeds. Drop in a few ice cubes and serve very cold.

Any leftover soy milk can be refrigerated for 2-3 days.

See more recipes at www.koreanbapsang.com.

By Ro Hyo-sun