"Cold Cucumber Soup"

[Irezumi Kiss]

All my Korean heads in the house, give a brother a holla!

I've been getting complimentary cold cucumber "soup" with my dosiraks for the past week. I remember this happening in the previous years, also.

Is it a welcoming-in-the-spring thing? If so, what's it called? And what's the cold cucumber soup called?

:confused:

[sandra]

what's a dorisak?

[rice cracker]

what's a dorisak?

Like a bento box.

[SunWuKong]

what's a dorisak?

i think he said dosiraks.

what's a dosirak?

[sandra]

thanks, kim.

i've never had cold cucumber soup in ktown.

i had it on french night on a cruise before though.

[Irezumi Kiss]

hmmm...when was the last time you went for Korean food, Kasia? If they're doing it here, they've gots to be doing it on your side of the fence, too.

[sandra]

hmmm...when was the last time you went for Korean food, Kasia? If they're doing it here, they've gots to be doing it on your side of the fence, too.

well, i've lived in ktown for the past 3 years, and have never had cold cucumber soup. i don't know why. maybe it's b/c i'm chinese and they don't want to give it to me.

[rice cracker]

I've seen recipes for it in my Korean cookbooks. Cold soup has never appealed to me, though. I'll flipped through one of them and see if there is any info in the little description.

[sandra]

Iced Korean Cucumber Soup
This delectable dish is the perfect antidote for heatstroke. In Korea, the summer heat soars way above 100 degrees. Consequently, this tart, ice cold and uncooked soup became an extremely popular dish at my mother's parties. You prepare it in advance and then, just before serving, add the ice cubes. Stir the ice cubes around for a few seconds and you have a very cold, icy cold, much colder than just chilled, soup. The ice cubes also function to firm up the cucumbers and make them crunchy. I like the lightness of it, as it contains no cream with but a small amount of fat from the sesame oil, and the crispness of the raw matchstick cucumbers gives it a refreshing texture.
As with so many Asian dishes, this soup has great aesthetic appeal as well. The paleness of the light green cucumbers is accented by the green and white of the onions and the tan specks of sesame seeds. If you can get very fresh, unwaxed cucumbers for this recipe, then use them with the peel on for added color, taste and texture. If only waxed cucumbers are available, then you must peel them before use.

By the way, this is really a very traditional Korean soup, and this recipe is exactly the way my mother's mother made it for her. It's not surprising that such an icy, tangy soup as this would be served in Korea. The summers there can be stiflingly hot, even though the winters are bitterly cold. The Koreans are also very fond of cucumbers and include them in most of their meals, either cooked, pickled or raw. A popular version of kim chi, the Korean national dish, consists of cucumbers pickled in red hot chili powder and is quite potent indeed.

As a final tidbit, because of its crisp and refreshingly tart flavor, this soup is also known in the Western world as "Korean Gazpacho."

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
2 cups chicken broth, degreased
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 green onions, chopped on the diagonal
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
15 to 20 ice cubes
If the cucumbers are waxy, peel them. If the skin is thin and unwaxed, leave it on. Cut the cucumber into matchstick julienne, about 2 inches in length. To make the soup more attractive, cut the ends of the matchsticks on the diagonal.
In a large serving bowl, mix together the chicken broth, water, cider vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper. Stir in the cucumber and green onions. Chill well.

Just before serving, stir the ice cubes and sesame seeds into the soup. Taste the soup to correct the seasonings. It should be pleasantly tart and slightly salty, with a hint of sesame. If the flavorings seem too strong, then dilute with additional water, but keep in mind that the ice cubes will thin down the flavors as they melt.

©1995, 1996, 1997 Katherine Heyhoe. All rights reserved.

[SunWuKong]

i've had cold dong gua soup before. but it was cold because it had been sitting in the pot for a while.

[sandra]

i had cold artichoke soup and it looked like a bowl of snot.

[Irezumi Kiss]

Is there a Chinese equivalent to the Korean cucumber soup?

Maybe I'll ask the guy who gave it to me next time...it just might be a store promo move...

i had cold artichoke soup and it looked like a bowl of snot.
That's exactly what I thought the first time I saw gazpacho.

I always thought "soup" was served "hot." But you learn fast!

[rice cracker]

My cookbook just said "An ideal refreshing summertime soup."

[Irezumi Kiss]

What's the name of it, though? Does your book tell you?

I would read it off the container label but I don't have my Hangul translator here at work with me...

grrrr...where's Meena when you REALLY need her?

heh heh

[applehead]

hi!
it's called oh-yi neng gook.
cucumber cold soup.

oh. i haven't had those in so long.
they taste good with noodles too!

[Irezumi Kiss]

hi!
it's called oh-yi neng gook.
cucumber cold soup.

oh. i haven't had those in so long.
they taste good with noodles too!
Ah...Meena to the rescue!

Do you know if it's just a beginning of spring thing, or is it a dish served all the time?

And the noodles...are you talking about naeng myun? In the cold soup with the egg? I fooking LOVE that stuff...

dammit, I'ma have to stop at Koreatown AGAIN now...making me frickin' hongry...

[SunWuKong]

hi!
it's called oh-yi neng gook.
cucumber cold soup.

oh. i haven't had those in so long.
they taste good with noodles too!

i thought tang means soup?

[rice cracker]

My book calls it miyeok nengkuk.

[applehead]

tang is soup too.
but soup that's more richer and cooked longer.
i think.

oh. i've had the cucumber soup with the miyeok too. kim
and that tastes good too.

and nyeng myun. i love that stuff.
but nooo. i'm not talking about those noodles.
i'm talking about the thin white ones.
i forget the name.
you rinse it in cold water and eat it with the neng gook.
it's so good.

i am hungry.

[SunWuKong]

tang is soup too.
but soup that's more richer and cooked longer.
i think.

oh. i've had the cucumber soup with the miyeok too. kim
and that tastes good too.

and nyeng myun. i love that stuff.
but nooo. i'm not talking about those noodles.
i'm talking about the thin white ones.
i forget the name.
you rinse it in cold water and eat it with the neng gook.
it's so good.

i am hungry.

does nyeng myun mean cold noodles?

[Irezumi Kiss]

does nyeng myun mean cold noodles?
Yeah, that's what I thought, too...

Ha! This is turning into a Let's Learn Korean thread...

So, if "guk" is "soup,"
would "tang" be "broth" or "stew?"
as in sul long tang?

Is "miyeok" cucumber or something else similar?

and nyeng myun. i love that stuff.
but nooo. i'm not talking about those noodles.
i'm talking about the thin white ones.
i forget the name.
you rinse it in cold water and eat it with the neng gook.
it's so good.
Is this similar to ra-soumen, hiyashi udon or zaru-soba?
the kind where you take the cold noodle off the plate and dip it in the mix and then eat them?
Actually, in ra-soumen, the soup is iced and I think the noodle comes already in the soup instead of having to dip.

i am hungry
Me three.

:biggrin:

[tapestrybabe]

Is there a Chinese equivalent to the Korean cucumber soup?

hmmm...
i suppose this question is coming from the same person...
who thinks that fort lee, nj...
is so much like flushing, ny...
whateverz...
i have no idea the answer to your question tho...

but i've had chilled cucumber soup before...
it was german style tho..
a german recipe...
very delicious...
not that i deem myself...
having that much in common with germans tho...

[Irezumi Kiss]

hmmm...
i suppose this question is coming from the same person...
who thinks that fort lee, nj...
is so much like flushing, ny...
whateverz...
i have no idea the answer to your question tho...
gawrsh...you're not gonna hold that against me, are ya, Tap?

After all, I was only in Fort Lee once...compared to kajillions of times in Flushing!

I have no other Korean-American community references to compare it to other than the one in Los Angeles and I was only there once, as well!

:tongue:

In keeping with topic, though, the place I go to for dosirak in Koreatown, Woorijip, has stopped givin' out the ohyi neng gook for free...guess the "welcoming in the Spring" thing is over n' done...

[applehead]

aaaww.
well, you have the recipe!!
try it!

[sandra]

tang is soup too.
but soup that's more richer and cooked longer.
i think.

oh. i've had the cucumber soup with the miyeok too. kim
and that tastes good too.

and nyeng myun. i love that stuff.
but nooo. i'm not talking about those noodles.
i'm talking about the thin white ones.
i forget the name.
you rinse it in cold water and eat it with the neng gook.
it's so good.

i am hungry.

are you talking about the noodles used in 'tong chee mein gook su'? over here, they serve that in cold seven up. it's good!