Cucumber Soup: Oi Naengguk
Written by Joe Wabe.
The dog days of summer are here! Luckily this beautiful country has many delightful and healthy ways to keep us cool. Koreans have understood for centuries that what you eat will make a difference in beating extreme weather conditions.
The heavier the meal, the greater thermic effect of food on our body, so keeping it “light” in summer means keeping ourselves cooler!
A big percentage of our bodily fluids come from foods that contain good amounts of water, like veggies and fruits. But the list does not stop there. According to traditional Chinese medicine, there are certain foods that contain cooling properties and can balance the energy of the body: Oysters, chicken eggs, yogurt, lotus root, turmeric, and seaweed are some examples.
Cucumber soup (오이냉국) is a classic summer side dish in Korea, and a type of naengguk (chilled soup) that is mainly eaten in summer. It contains elements that help keep the thermic effect at low levels and make your body feel comfortable and chilled.
Combining cucumbers and seaweed in a chilled sweet-and-sour dish produces a fresh, crispy, and cool effect on your palate that is regenerative and will keep your body feeling healthy throughout midsummer – best of all, it will take you only a few minutes to put it together.
Ingredients (Serves 4)
1 medium-sized cucumber
1 cup of seaweed (soaked)
1 sweet red pepper (chopped)
1 cup of minced garlic
1/2 medium-sized onion (chopped)
3 tablespoons of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
4 cups of water
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Preparation
Cut the cucumber at an angle into ovals, then julienne the pieces a few at a time. Next, chop the onions into thin slices. Prepare the seaweed by soaking it for about 15 minutes, then rinse and drain well. Remove all the excess water by squeezing it tightly.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the seaweed, cucumbers, and the rest of the ingredients (except the water) and toss it gently. Finally, add the water and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. You can add a couple of ice cubes for a cooler effect.
THE AUTHOR
Joe Wabe is a Gwangju expat, who has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than ten years with his work in photography and writing.