Sweet and Tangy Oi Minari Gochujang Naengguk
A summer cold soup made with water dropwort and cucumber in a gochujang and kelp broth, enjoyed like a cold raw fish soup broth.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This is a special cold soup that dissolves gochujang into a clear steeped kelp broth, offering a sweet and tangy flavor reminiscent of a mild mulhoe broth. By freezing the prepared soup until a layer of slush forms and pouring it over freshly sliced cucumber and fragrant water dropwort right before serving, you keep the texture fresh and crisp.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Cucumber2/3
- Water dropwort (minari)1/2 handful (5 stalks)
- Minced red chili peppera little
- Ground toasted sesame seedsa little
Cold soup
- Kelp broth3 cups
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic (or whole garlic 1 clove)1/2 tbsp
- Vinegar2–3 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Steep 2 sheets of dried kelp (5 cm square) in 3 cups of water in advance for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Prepare only the stems of the water dropwort and chop them finely.
Steps
1. Steep 2 sheets of dried kelp (5 cm square) in 3 cups of water in advance for 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
While anchovy broth works well in cold soups, broth made by thoroughly steeping dried kelp is also savory, clean, and delicious.
You do not need to boil the dried kelp in water; simply soaking it is enough to make the cold soup broth.
2. Add all the seasoning ingredients into a bowl and stir until completely dissolved and well blended.
Instead of minced garlic, like when making jellyfish cold salad sauce, I finely minced 1 clove of garlic and added it.
3. Pour in the kelp broth and stir.
4. Taste it and adjust the seasonings, adding more vinegar, sugar, or salt to suit your taste.
Since this is a cold soup served chilled, it will not taste good if it is too bland, so season it slightly on the stronger side.
5. If you freeze the cold soup right in the bowl for about 2 to 3 hours, it will turn into a pleasant, overall slushy texture.
6. Julienne the cucumber for the cold soup, and prepare only the stems of the water dropwort and chop them finely.
I finely chopped about 1/3 of a red chili pepper to add color.
Add the julienned cucumber and water dropwort, pour in the slushy cold soup broth, and sprinkle with red chili pepper and ground toasted sesame seeds to complete this refreshing cold soup.
More than half of the broth was slushy ice, but it quickly melted while taking photos.
Rather than making cold soup and floating ice cubes in it,
freezing the soup itself until slightly slushy keeps the broth from becoming diluted, allowing you to enjoy the original delicious flavor until the end.
Also, these days, unless I am using dried seaweed, I do not pre-season the soup ingredients before pouring in the broth;
instead, I slice the cucumber and other ingredients right before serving and pour the slushy soup over them to enjoy a crisp, fresh texture.
When it is hot, anything tastes better when it feels crisp and lively in the mouth.
Ppunwife's tips
- Rather than making the cold soup and floating ice cubes in it, freezing the soup itself until slightly slushy keeps the broth from becoming diluted, allowing you to enjoy the original delicious flavor until the end.
- I slice the cucumber and other ingredients right before serving and pour the slushy cold soup over them to enjoy a crisp, fresh texture.
FAQ
Why do you freeze the soup broth instead of floating ice cubes?
Floating regular ice cubes waters down the broth as they melt, so lightly freezing the cold soup broth in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours preserves the original flavor until the very end.
Is there a reason you do not soak the vegetables in the broth beforehand?
Soaking them ahead of time can cause them to lose their crunch, so it is recommended to slice them right before eating and pour the slushy broth over them to keep the crisp, lively texture.
Is there a way to adapt this cold soup into a main meal?
If you season the broth slightly more intensely, you can add raw fish or somyeon (thin wheat noodles) to enjoy it as a complete meal.
