Kong-guksu (Cold Soy Milk Noodles)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl for soaking
• •Medium pot
• •High-speed blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer, optional for a very smooth broth
• •Chilled stainless or deep ceramic serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the beans

   Put the soybeans in a large bowl and cover with 8 cups water. Soak 8 to 12 hours at room temperature, until the beans are plump and split cleanly when pressed. Do not shorten this with hard boiling from dry. A soaked bean cooks evenly, and even cooking is what keeps the broth clean instead of chalky.

   In hot weather, soak the beans in the refrigerator after the first 2 hours. Soybeans sour quickly in a warm kitchen, and sour beans make a broth no salt can fix.
2. 2

   Boil just enough

   Drain the soaked beans and put them in a pot with 6 cups fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook 12 to 15 minutes, skimming the foam, until the raw bean smell is gone and the beans crush softly between your fingers. Stop there. Overcooked beans taste tired, and kong-guksu has nowhere to hide that.

3. 3

   Cool and peel

   Drain the beans and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Rub them between your palms in a bowl of water to loosen the skins, then pour off the floating skins. Repeat 3 or 4 times. You do not need to catch every skin, but removing most of them makes the broth smoother and cleaner on the tongue.

   This is a safe corner to soften, not to skip carelessly. If it is a weeknight, leave some skins and blend longer. If you are serving elders who remember the old texture, peel more patiently.
4. 4

   Grind the broth

   Blend the cooked beans with 3 cups cold filtered water, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, and the peanuts or pine nuts if using. Work in batches if your blender is small. Blend 2 full minutes per batch, until the kongmul is pale, thick, and pourable. Add cold water 1/4 cup at a time if it is too heavy; it should coat a spoon lightly, not sit like porridge.

5. 5

   Chill hard

   Pour the soybean broth into a covered container and chill at least 1 hour, or set the container in an ice bath for 20 minutes if dinner is close. Do not add all the salt now. Stir in only 1/4 teaspoon salt to wake the soybean flavor, then leave the real seasoning for the bowls.

6. 6

   Boil the noodles

   Bring a large pot of water to a hard boil. Add the somyeon and stir so the strands do not cling. Cook according to the package, usually 3 to 4 minutes, adding a small cup of cold water when the foam rises. That old habit calms the boil and helps the noodles cook through without breaking.

7. 7

   Rinse until cold

   Drain the noodles and rinse under cold running water, rubbing them firmly between your hands until they feel cold and slippery no longer. This washes away surface starch. If you leave the starch on, the noodles muddy the soybean broth before the bowl reaches the table. Drain very well.

8. 8

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide the cold noodles among 4 chilled bowls and pour about 3/4 cup chilled soybean broth over each portion. Add 1 or 2 ice cubes if the day is truly hot. Top with julienned cucumber and a small pinch of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately with fine sea salt on the side, telling each person to begin with 1/4 teaspoon, stir, taste, and adjust by the pinch.

Chef Tips

• •Buy clean dried yellow soybeans with no stale smell. Old beans take longer to soften and make a thin-tasting broth, no matter how faithfully you grind them.
• •A high-speed blender is the modern vessel, and it is welcome here. The core technique is not the stone mill; it is cooking the beans correctly and grinding them smooth while cold.
• •Do not sweeten the pitcher for everyone. Some tables, especially in Jeolla, set out sugar as well as salt. If your family eats it that way, serve sugar on the side and let each bowl answer its own memory.
• •For a lighter broth, replace 1/2 cup of the cold water with very cold unsweetened soy milk only if your beans are weak. Do not use sweetened soy milk. The dish should taste of soybeans, not dessert.

Advance Preparation

• •The soybeans can soak overnight in the refrigerator. Cook and grind them the next morning, then chill the broth for dinner.
• •The soybean broth keeps 2 days refrigerated in a covered container. Stir before serving, because natural separation is normal. Do not freeze it; thawed kongmul turns grainy.
• •Cucumber can be julienned up to 4 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Boil and rinse the noodles only at serving time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 460g)