Korean Chilled Cucumber Soup
Quick answer
- Active time
- 12 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
On a hot day this takes the soup's place on the Korean table.
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Thin cucumber slices sit in a sharp broth where vinegar leads, and ice goes in right before serving so it arrives very cold.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the cucumber, trim both ends, and slice it very thinly, about 2 mm thick.
Keep the slices even so the seasoning penetrates quickly and the texture stays crisp instead of chunky.
- 2
Sprinkle the cucumber evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and let it stand for 5 minutes.
When the slices bend slightly and release moisture, squeeze them firmly by hand so the broth will not taste diluted.
- 3
In a large bowl, first combine 700 ml water, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1.5 tablespoons soup soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon sugar.
Stir until no sugar grains remain, since undissolved sugar makes the broth uneven.
- 4
Add 0.5 tsp minced garlic and stir again.
Taste a spoonful of broth to check that the vinegar, soup soy sauce, and sugar are evenly mixed.
- 5
Add the squeezed cucumber to the broth and loosen the slices with chopsticks so they are fully submerged.
Separate any clumps, because packed slices season unevenly and stay bland in the middle.
- 6
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the cucumber absorbs the broth and the soup becomes thoroughly cold.
Just before serving, float 6 ice cubes on top and serve while the broth is icy.
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