Kongguksu Food

KONGGUKSU (COLD SOY MILK NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine soy beans with enough water to cover by 3 inches and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight. Drain.
• In a large pot, cover soaked soy beans with enough water to submerge by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally and skimming foam and skins that rise to the top, until beans have softened but are still slightly crunchy, 10 to 12 minutes. (The beans should still have a little snap to them.) Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl.
• Fill the bowl with cold water, swish the beans around, then drain, pouring off any skins that rise to the top. Repeat until the beans are cold and the loosened skins are gone. (Not all skins need to be removed, just the ones that fall off on their own.)
• Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Divide among 4 bowls.
• In a blender, combine soy beans with the chilled water and salt, then purée until smooth. Season to taste with more salt, if desired. If the broth isn't cold, stir in a few ice cubes to chill it down before pouring it over the noodles. (Remove the ice first.) Garnish with cucumbers and sesame seeds, if using, and serve immediately.

KONGGUKSU (CHILLED SOY MILK NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Rinse and soak 1 cup dried soybeans for 5 to 6 hours or overnight. (Yields about 2 to 2 1/4 cups soaked beans.)
• Add enough water to cover the beans, bring to a boil and cook for an additional 3 - 4 minutes. (Do not overcook.) 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. Repeat this process to remove as much as possible.
• In a blender, puree 1/2 of the cooked beans, 2 tablespoons of nuts, and a teaspoon of sesame seeds, if using, 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 a cup) to adjust the thickness of the liquid.
• Run the puree through a fine strainer for a smooth milk-like texture, stirring with a spoon to force it through. (This step is optional.)
• Lightly salt to taste. Stir well. Refrigerate to chill.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a 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/or sesame seeds. Drop in a few ice cubes and serve very cold.

KONGGUKSU

Steps:

• Rinse the soybeans, transfer to a large bowl and pick through to remove and discard any dark-colored beans. Add enough cold water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator until the beans are hydrated and doubled in size, 8 to 10 hours.
• Drain and transfer the beans to a large pot. Add 10 cups cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to avoid scorching the bottom. Lower the heat to medium and let simmer, skimming the foam off the top as needed, until the beans are cooked through but still slightly firm and holding their shape, about 25 minutes. (The skins should easily slide off at this point and the beans should not completely disintegrate when pressed between two fingers.)
• Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small saute pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until nutty, fragrant and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to a small bowl. In the same pan, toast the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until nutty, fragrant and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to another small bowl; set both bowls aside.
• Reserve 3 cups of the bean cooking water then drain the beans in a colander in the sink. Insert the colander in a large bowl and gently massage the beans under running water to remove the skins. Agitate the water to help the skins float to the top then skim them off with a small strainer or slotted spoon; repeat until at least 1 cup of the skins are removed.
• Combine the beans with the reserved bean water in a blender. Add the sugar, pine nuts, 3 tablespoons of the sesame seeds, 3 cups cold water and 2 teaspoons salt. Blend on medium-high speed until smooth and homogenous, 2 to 4 minutes. If your blender is not large enough to hold all the soy milk, blend it in two batches and transfer each batch to a large bowl. For a thinner, milk-like consistency, strain the soy milk through a fine-mesh sieve or add more water. Refrigerate the soy milk in an airtight container until very cold, about 4 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse in a running bath of cold water, rubbing the noodles between your hands and gently massaging them in the water to remove the excess starch. Drain then repeat the rinsing, rubbing and massaging two more times. Drain thoroughly.
• Divide the noodles among 4 large soup bowls and top with the chilled soy milk. Divide the cucumber, tomatoes, eggs and remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds among the bowls, layering them on top of the noodles. Add ice cubes to the broth if desired. Serve immediately with ripe, fermented kimchi on the side.