Chilled Cucumber Soup

Name: Chilled Cucumber Soup (Naeng-guk)
Yield: Serves 3 to 4
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 hot cherry pepper or finger-length red chili pepper, seeded and cut into thin rings; 1 green onion (scallion), sliced into ¼-in (6-mm) rings; 1 tablespoon soy sauce, preferably low sodium; 3 tablespoons sugar; 3 cups (375 ml) cold water; 2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt or kosher salt; 4 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar; 4 mini cucumbers or ½ English cucumber’ cut into matchstick strips; 2 shallots, cut into matchstick strips

Naeng-guk

Preparation info

Serves
3 to 4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Korean Table

By Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels

Published 2015

About

Dense with slivers of cucumber, this cold sweet-and-sour soup is like a floating salad. The sour element is thought to stimulate your appetite and refresh you in the heat of the summer. However don’t wait for the summer. Serve this cooling soup as a counterpoint with a spicy meal that generates its own heat.

Ingredients

4 mini cucumbers or ½ English cucumber’ cut into matchstick strips
2 shallots, cut into matchstick strips

Asia
Korea
Summer
Soup
Vegan

Method

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, shallots and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and water. Add this mixture to the cucumbers.

Add the green onion, mix well, and place in the refrigerator until well chilled. Garnish with cherry pepper rings.