Chef Jeong-sun
Aehobak-guk (애호박국, Korean Zucchini Soup)
A clean summer soup of Korean zucchini and salted shrimp, built on quick anchovy-kelp broth and finished before the half-moons lose their shape on a weeknight table.
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Miyeok-naengguk (Cold Seaweed Soup)
Created by
A summer bowl of softened miyeok and crisp cucumber in a clean, vinegared broth, the cold cousin of birthday soup and one of the quickest comforts on a Korean table.
Soups & Stews
Korean
Weeknight
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
0 min cook•50 min total
Yield4 servings
Miyeok-naengguk belongs to the heat of summer, when the rice is still warm but nobody wants a heavy soup beside it. At my mother's table it came out in a stainless bowl, cold enough to bead water on the outside, with cucumber cut thin and seaweed softened just enough to be tender. It was not a grand dish. That is why it needs to be written down.
The dish lives or dies by restraint. Dried miyeok (sea mustard) swells like it has been waiting all year, so measure it before soaking or you'll make a basin when you meant to make soup. The broth should be tart, lightly salty, and faintly sweet, not sour enough to pinch your eyes. The cucumber must stay crisp, which means salt it briefly and rinse it, then keep everything truly cold.
Notebook 19 says 12 grams of dried miyeok for four bowls. That looks too little in the hand. Trust the scale. 손맛 is real, the hand-taste our mothers trusted, and I still measure it so it can be handed on. Tonight this asks only for soaking, slicing, tasting, and patience in the refrigerator.
Naengguk, or cold soup, appears across Korean home cooking as a summer answer to heat, made with cucumber, seaweed, eggplant, or young greens in a chilled vinegared broth. Miyeok itself has long been tied to Korean household cooking through miyeok-guk, the warm seaweed soup eaten after childbirth and on birthdays, but miyeok-naengguk is its lighter seasonal relative rather than a ceremonial dish. Modern home versions often use chilled water for speed, while older and more careful kitchens build flavor with a light anchovy-kelp broth.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried cut miyeok (sea mustard)
Quantity
12g, about 1/2 cup loosely packed
English cucumber or Korean cucumber
Quantity
1/2 English cucumber or 1 small Korean cucumber, about 150g
julienned
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for salting cucumber
cold anchovy-kelp broth or cold water
Quantity
3 cups
rice vinegar
Quantity
3 tablespoons
soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) or regular soy sauce
Quantity
1 tablespoon
sugar
Quantity
1 teaspoon
fine sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more as needed
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
finely grated
toasted sesame seeds
Quantity
1 teaspoon
toasted sesame oil
Quantity
1 teaspoon
scallion
Quantity
1
thinly sliced
ice cubes
Quantity
1 cup
for serving
fresh red chili (optional)
Quantity
1/2
thinly sliced
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried cut miyeok (sea mustard) | 12g, about 1/2 cup loosely packed |
| English cucumber or Korean cucumberjulienned | 1/2 English cucumber or 1 small Korean cucumber, about 150g |
| fine sea saltfor salting cucumber | 1/2 teaspoon |
| cold anchovy-kelp broth or cold water | 3 cups |
| rice vinegar | 3 tablespoons |
| soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) or regular soy sauce | 1 tablespoon |
| sugar | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more as needed |
| garlicfinely grated | 1 small clove |
| toasted sesame seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| toasted sesame oil | 1 teaspoon |
| scallionthinly sliced | 1 |
| ice cubesfor serving | 1 cup |
| fresh red chili (optional)thinly sliced | 1/2 |
Equipment Needed
- •Medium mixing bowl for soaking seaweed
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Large serving bowl, preferably stainless steel
- •Sharp knife or mandoline for thin cucumber
Instructions
- 1
Soak the miyeok
Put the dried miyeok in a bowl and cover it with plenty of cold water. Soak 10 minutes, until it opens and turns soft but still has a little spring. Drain it well, rinse once under cold water, and squeeze gently. Do not leave it soaking while you wander off; over-soaked miyeok loses its clean bite.
If your miyeok pieces are long, cut them into 2-inch lengths after soaking. Soup should meet the spoon politely, not trail from it. - 2
Salt the cucumber
Toss the julienned cucumber with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and let it stand 8 minutes. Rinse quickly under cold water and squeeze out the excess moisture. This keeps the cucumber crisp and stops it from watering down the broth later.
- 3
Season the broth
In a large bowl, stir together the cold anchovy-kelp broth or water, rice vinegar, soup soy sauce, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and grated garlic until the sugar and salt dissolve. Taste it cold. It should be a little sharper and saltier than you think, because the ice and seaweed will soften the seasoning.
- 4
Combine and chill
Add the squeezed miyeok and cucumber to the broth. Stir in the sesame seeds, sesame oil, scallion, and red chili if using. Chill at least 30 minutes. This short rest lets the seaweed take in the seasoning without turning limp.
- 5
Serve ice-cold
Taste once more just before serving. If it tastes flat, add 1 teaspoon vinegar or a pinch of salt, not both at once. Ladle into chilled bowls with a few ice cubes in each. Serve beside warm rice and one or two banchan (side dishes), while the cucumber still snaps.
Chef Tips
- •Cut miyeok is easiest here. If you buy whole dried miyeok, soak it first, then trim away any thick stems and cut the tender fronds small enough for a spoon.
- •Anchovy-kelp broth gives the cleanest flavor, but cold water is an honest weeknight shortcut. If using water, do not increase the soy sauce too much or the soup turns dark and salty before it tastes deep.
- •Use rice vinegar, not a harsh distilled vinegar. This soup should wake the mouth, not punish it.
- •Keep the ice for serving, not for fixing a warm broth. Ice can hold a cold soup cold, but it cannot make a poorly chilled broth taste settled.
Advance Preparation
- •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Chill it hard before mixing the soup.
- •The seasoned broth can be mixed up to 1 day ahead without the cucumber and miyeok. Add those within an hour of serving so they keep their texture.
- •Leftovers keep refrigerated for 1 day, but the cucumber softens and the broth becomes more seaweed-heavy. This is best eaten the day it is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 295g)
Calories
35 calories
Total Fat
1 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
760 mg
Total Carbohydrates
5 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
1 g
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