Gaji-naengguk (Cold Eggplant Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Steamer basket with lid
• •Shallow tray for cooling
• •Medium mixing bowl
• •Chilled serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the broth

   Stir together the cold water or chilled anchovy-kelp broth, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce, sugar, and salt until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate it for at least 1 hour, or put it in the freezer for 20 minutes while you prepare the eggplant. Before the ice goes in, the broth should taste one shade sharper and saltier than you want the finished soup, because cold and ice soften seasoning.

2. 2

   Steam the eggplant

   Cut the eggplants crosswise into 3-inch lengths, then halve any thick pieces lengthwise so they cook evenly. Set them in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover, and steam 6 to 8 minutes, until the flesh yields when pinched and the skin is still purple. Stop there. Boiled or oversteamed eggplant turns wet and tired, and no broth can repair it.

   A microwave is an honest vessel change: cover the cut eggplant in a microwave-safe dish and cook 4 to 5 minutes. The standard is the same, soft enough to tear, not collapsed.
3. 3

   Cool and tear

   Spread the hot eggplant on a shallow tray so it cools quickly. When you can handle it, tear it with your fingers into strips about 1/2 inch wide, following the grain. Do not rinse it. If the strips are dripping, press them once between your palms, gently, but do not wring out all their softness.

4. 4

   Season the strips

   In a mixing bowl, combine 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce, regular soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, sesame oil, crushed sesame seeds, garlic, chopped scallion, and gochugaru if using. Add the torn eggplant and mix lightly by hand so the seasoning reaches the folds. Seasoning the eggplant before the broth matters: the strips drink the soy and sesame while they are still tender, instead of floating bland in a cold bowl.

5. 5

   Rest it cold

   Cover the seasoned eggplant and chill it for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cucumber only just before serving so it stays crisp. This short rest is enough; leave it overnight in the broth and the eggplant gives up too much water.

6. 6

   Assemble the soup

   Divide the seasoned eggplant among four chilled bowls and scatter the cucumber over it. Pour in the cold broth, add the ice cubes, and finish with sliced scallion, sesame seeds, and red chili if you are using it. Serve at once, with rice. The broth should be tangy and clean, the eggplant soft, and the sesame quiet in the background.

Chef Tips

• •Buy slender eggplants that feel heavy for their size, with taut, glossy skin and no soft patches. Large old eggplants carry more seeds and water, and this cold soup has nowhere to hide that.
• •Do not boil the eggplant. Eggplant is a sponge, and boiling fills it with water before seasoning ever reaches it. Steam, cool, tear, season. That order is the dish.
• •Cold water is acceptable when the eggplants are sweet and fresh. Chilled anchovy-kelp broth gives more body, but keep it light; this is not a jjigae trying to become a cold soup.
• •If the finished broth dulls after the ice melts, correct the whole batch with 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt. Measure the correction. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway.

Advance Preparation

• •The broth can be mixed 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated. If using anchovy-kelp broth, make it up to 3 days ahead, chill it, and skim it clean.
• •The eggplant can be steamed, torn, and seasoned up to 12 hours ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, separate from the broth.
• •Add cucumber, ice, and final garnishes only at serving. Once assembled, gaji-naengguk is best eaten within the hour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)