Kongguksu with soba noodles and ume plum pickled tomatoes

Chilled soy milk noodles in a nutty, creamy broth, topped with ume plum vinegar-pickled tomatoes, fresh julienned cucumber, and crispy rice.

Lately I’ve been craving kongguksu. The broth for this Korean cold noodle dish is made by blending soaked soybeans (and sometimes pine nuts) until creamy, the freshest, savoriest soy milk. it’s a mild dish with subtle flavors, meant to soothe rather than stimulate, and traditionally, you top it with julienned cucumber and tomatoes and eat it with bites of kimchi or other spicy, acidic banchan.

For my version, I used soba noodles instead of traditional somen wheat noodles to complement the rich, nutty broth, and garnished with cherry tomatoes pickled in ume plum (umeboshi) vinegar and sugar. The brine contains sea salt and red shiso, so instead of plain tomato, you get intensely tart, sweet pops of juice to go with the silky chilled soup.

How to make the ume-pickled tomatoes:

Cut an “x” on the tomatoes with the tip of a sharp paring knife. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Drop in the tomatoes and blanch for 20 seconds. Rinse under cold water and peel— the skins should slide right off. Combine the ume plum vinegar, sugar, and rice vinegar in a glass container. Add the tomatoes. Cover the jar tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

How to make the soy milk broth:

Rinse the soaked soybeans. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with enough water to submerge by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the beans are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse off any loosened skins. Puree the beans in a high-speed blender with the water, roasted sesame seeds, peanuts, and and salt, until creamy and smooth. Chill in the refrigerator.

📖 Recipe

Kongguksu with soba noodles and ume plum pickled tomatoes

Chilled soy milk noodle soup in a nutty, creamy broth, topped with ume plum vinegar-pickled tomatoes, fresh julienned cucumber, and crispy rice.

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 90
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 2 days
• Yield: 2 1x
• Cuisine: Korean
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

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For the soy milk broth and noodles:

• ½ cup (90g) dried soybeans*
• 2 cups (480ml) water
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 oz (140g) dried soba noodles or somyeon (wheat noodles)
• 1 Persian cucumber, julienned

For the ume plum-pickled tomatoes:

• 1 pint (340g) cherry tomatoes
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) ume plum vinegar
• ½ cup (100g) sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) rice vinegar

For the crispy rice (optional): 

• ½ cup (70g) cooked and cooled jasmine rice

Instructions

1. Make the soy milk broth. Soak the soybeans overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Rinse well. Transfer the soaked soybeans to a large saucepan and cover with enough water to submerge by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the beans are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse off any loosened skins. Puree the beans in a high-speed blender with the water, roasted sesame seeds, peanuts, and and salt, until creamy and smooth. Chill the milk in the refrigerator.
2. Make the pickled tomatoes (prepare 2 hours in advance). Cut an “x” on the tomatoes with the tip of a sharp paring knife. Blanch for 20 seconds in boiling water, transfer to a bowl of cold water, and peel— the skins should slide right off. Combine the brine ingredients in a glass container and add the tomatoes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to infuse the tomatoes with flavor.
3. Make the crispy rice (optional). Break up the cooled rice with your fingers to get rid of any clumps. Fry in oil heated to 350°F (177°C), stirring often and turning with a skimmer until the rice is crispy and golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
4. Assemble. Cook the noodles according to its package instructions, until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water and divide into 2 bowls. Pour the chilled broth over the noodles. Top with pickled tomatoes, julienned cucumber and crispy rice.

Notes

*If you don’t have dried soybeans, there are two alternatives for making the broth. These shortcuts will not taste nearly as delicious as homemade soy milk broth, but they are convenient if you don’t have time to soak soybeans.

• Use 2 cups storebought unsweetened soy milk. This will only work with fresh soy milk found in an Asian supermarket, not the sweetened Western kind with additives. Blend with the toasted sesame and roasted peanuts.
• Use a block of store-bought soft or silken tofu. Blanch the block of tofu in a pot of boiling water before blending. Tofu is made from cooked soybeans, so the texture and protein content will be similar.

Keywords: kongguksu, soy milk