Oi Naengguk (Chilled Cucumber Soup)

It’s been way too hot for the last few days with daily highs over 100° F. This chilled soup is a perfect dish to cool off from the heat. Oi naengguk is a very popular summer dish in Korea. Oi means cucumber, and naengguk means chilled soup. It’s quick, cool and refreshing! A popular variation is made with miyeok (seaweed), which is what I made here. Simply use more cucumbers if you are not adding seaweed. Make ahead of time and chill well before serving.

4 servings
Ingredients:
1 Korean cucumber or 2 Kirby (pickling) cucumbers (5 – 6 ounces)
1 cup soaked miyeok (seaweed) – about 1/2 ounce dried
1 Korean green or red chili pepper or scallion (optional)
1 tablespoon soup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Korean red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

For the soup:
4 cups of water
1 tablespoon soup soy sauce
3 tablespoons vinegar
salt to taste

Cut the cucumber into match sticks (julienne). Finely chop the optional chili pepper or scallion.

 

 

Prepare the dried seaweed by soaking and rinsing well. (See my miyeok guk recipe for more.) Boil water in a small pot and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the soaked seaweed briefly (blanch), about 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again, squeeze out excess water and cut into bite size pieces.

 
In a medium size bowl, gently toss the vegetables with the next 5 ingredients. Refrigerate to chill.

 

 

In another medium size bowl, mix 4 cups of water with the soup soy sauce, vinegar, and salt. Start with a half teaspoon of salt, taste and add more if necessary. Refrigerate to chill.

 

 
When ready to serve, combine the cucumber and miyeok mix with the soup. Stir the soup, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt to taste, if necessary. Serve in chilled bowls with a couple of ice cubes.