Cold Soy Milk Noodle Soup (Kongguksu)
Recipe from Maangchi · original post · full recipe on maangchi.com
Thin wheat noodles in a cold, creamy, nutty soy milk broth made from scratch with soybeans, sesame seeds and pine nuts. A cool, nourishing summer meal packed with plant-based protein.
Ingredients
- dried soybeans — washed and soaked in cold water overnight90 g
- toasted sesame seeds18 g
- pine nuts18 g
- somyeon — thin wheat noodles225 g
- kosher salt — 1 ½ tsp9 g
- egg — hard-boiled, shelled and cut into 8 pieces1 ea
- cucumber — cut into matchsticks60 g
- small tomato — sliced1 ea
Method
- Make the soy milk: strain the soaked beans and add them to a heavy pot with 480 ml water. Cook for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, uncovered. Then cover and simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat.
- Remove from the heat. Uncover, stir and let them cool down for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the beans and their cooking water (about 120 ml) to a blender. Add 720 ml cold water, the pine nuts and the sesame seeds.
- Blend at high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is smooth and creamy. Refrigerate the soy milk in an airtight container for up to 24 hours until you're ready to make kongguksu.
Cooking for a different diet?
Swaps that keep this dish what it is. The prices on this page are for the recipe as written.
Vegan
- Leave out the egg
Skip the egg and top the bowls with the cucumber and tomato as before; nothing else changes.
Gluten-free
- 180 g Thin rice noodles instead of somyeon
Cook the rice noodles as the packet says, usually 3 to 4 minutes, then rinse them under cold water until cold exactly as for somyeon.
Swaps are suggestions — check labels if you are cooking for an allergy.
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What it costs, and where to buy it
Shops to compare
List price at each shop
Missing items
These totals leave part of the list out, so a lower one isn't a cheaper shop.
AldiBest choice· $2.62 of food
$17.49
85% spare
No price at Aldi for:
- dried soybeans
- toasted sesame seeds
- somyeon
Coles· $3.03 of food · $0.41 more
$13.77
78% spare
No price at Coles for:
- dried soybeans
- toasted sesame seeds
- somyeon
Woolworths· $5.49 of food · $2.87 more
$16.67
67% spare
No price at Woolworths for:
- dried soybeans
- toasted sesame seeds
- somyeon
$1.31a serve
from $1.31 a serve at Aldi · 5 of 8 ingredients priced
About $2.62 of ingredients used for 2 serves.
$16.16 across 3 shops · 5 of 8 items priced · $2.44 more for bigger packs, 86% spare for later
AldiBest choice$2.62
missing 3 items
you'll pay $17.49 · 85% of it spare
Coles$3.03
missing 3 items · $0.41 more
you'll pay $13.77 · 78% of it spare
Woolworths$5.49
missing 3 items · $2.87 more
you'll pay $16.67 · 67% of it spare
Buy at Aldi$13.52
pine nuts
$52.90/kg
need 18 gOh So Natural Wholefoods Pine Nuts 100 g$5.29closest match
Aldi$52.90/kg$5.29·Woolworths$62.50/kg$5.00·Coles$62.50/kg$5.00
egg
$0.82/100g
need 1 itemLodge Farms Barn Laid Eggs 18 Pack 900g$7.39closest match
Aldi$0.82/100g$7.39·Woolworths$1.61/100g$5.30·Coles$1.61/100g$5.30
cucumber
$3.99/kg
need 60 gNo Brand Lebanese Cucumbers approx. 210 g$0.84closest match
Aldi$3.99/kg$0.84·Coles$4.90/kg$0.78·Woolworths~$7.68/kg$1.42
Buy at Coles$0.69
small tomato
$9.90/kg
need 1 itemColes Roma Tomatoes Loose approx. 70g 1 item$0.69closest match
Coles$9.90/kg$0.69·Aldi$6.99/kg$0.98·Woolworths$24.00/kg$3.00
Buy at Woolworths$1.95
kosher salt
$0.02/10g
need 9 gOlsson's Rock Sea Salt 1 kg$1.95
Woolworths$0.02/10g$1.95·Coles$0.04/10g$2.00·Aldi$0.04/10g$2.99
Not priced
- dried soybeans · 90 g
- toasted sesame seeds · 18 g
- somyeon · 225 g