Time: 12 hours 50 minutes (including soaking and cooling time)
Complexity: average
Servings: 4

Noodles in chilled soy milk broth are one of the most popular summer dishes in Korea. Fresh soy milk has a nutty, slightly sweet, and subtle flavor that pairs beautifully with the savory, mature kimchi. Restaurants specializing in kongguksu always serve the broth unsalted, allowing diners to season it to their taste. We recommend adding a little salt and sugar. The recipe is simple, but start preparing it a day in advance for a creamy, milky broth.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried yellow soybeans*
• 4 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons of pine nuts
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 400 g somyeon (thin Korean wheat noodles)
• Half a cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 cocktail tomatoes or Campari, halved
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• Mature kimchi, for serving

Substituting ingredients
Measuring containers used

1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

We recommend

Preparation:

Step 1
• Rinse the soybeans, place them in a large bowl, and sort through them, removing any dark beans. Pour cold water over the soybeans, covering them by 2 inches (5 cm). Cover and let sit in the refrigerator until the soybeans double in size, 8–10 hours.
Step 2
• Drain the soybeans and transfer them to a large saucepan. Add 10 cups of cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, skimming off any foam as needed, until the soybeans are cooked through but still firm and hold their shape, about 25 minutes. At this point, the skins should slide off easily, and the beans should not fall apart completely when pressed with two fingers.
Step 3
• Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. In the same skillet, toast the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until deep golden, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to another small bowl; set both bowls aside.
Step 4
• Pour off 3 cups of the cooking liquid and drain the soybeans in a colander in the sink. Place the colander over a large bowl and lightly rinse the beans under running water to remove the skins. Swirl the water to release the skins, then skim them off using a small sieve or slotted spoon. Repeat until at least 1 cup of skins has been removed.
Step 5
• Prepare soy milk: Combine the beans with the remaining liquid in a blender. Add sugar, toasted pine nuts, 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, 3 cups cold water, and 2 teaspoons salt. Blend on medium-high speed until smooth, 2–4 minutes. If your blender doesn't fit all the soybeans, blend in two batches, transferring each batch to a large bowl. For a thinner, milk-like consistency, strain the soy milk through a fine sieve or add more water.
Step 6
• Pour the soy milk into a container, cover tightly and refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight.
Step 7
• When ready to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles between your palms and gently massaging them in the water to remove excess starch. Drain, then rinse twice more. Drain thoroughly.
Step 8
• Divide the noodles among 4 large soup bowls and top with chilled soy milk.
Step 9
• Arrange the cucumber, tomatoes, and eggs on top of the noodles in bowls and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds. Add ice cubes to the broth, if desired. Serve immediately, topped with kimchi.
  
  
  Note *
  
  Dried yellow soybeans are a soybean widely used in Korean cuisine and are one of the ingredients in dendjang paste, a Korean seasoning. You can find soybeans in Korean grocery stores or on Amazon.

Votes: 1

Author of the recipe - Jackie Ji Yoon Park is a Korean culinary stylist and recipe developer, a registered dietitian, specializing in Korean cuisine.