Name: Healthy Kongguksu
Prep time: 6 h
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 6 h 10 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: 1 cup good quality dried soybeans; 3 portions somyeon (somen/wheat noodles) or buckwheat noodles; 3 halved cherry tomato for garnish, optional; Crushed black sesame seeds, optional; Salt; Kimchi

Ingredients

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1 cup good quality dried soybeans
3 portions somyeon (somen/wheat noodles) or buckwheat noodles
3 halved cherry tomato for garnish, optional
Crushed black sesame seeds, optional
Salt
Kimchi

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Instructions

Soak the beans in 4 cups of cold water for at least 6 to 12 hours. I prefer soaking them overnight in the fridge. If you want to prepare more than a cup, you can keep the soaked beans in the fridge for 7+ days.
Drain the soaked beans and place them in a large pot. Pour 6 cups of new clean cold water and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling and a few beans are floating, cook for 5 minutes.
Drain the cooked beans, but make sure to keep the bean water. Rinse the beans and remove any bean shells if necessary. Let the beans and bean water cool down completely in the fridge.
Place the cooked beans in a blender and pour 3 1/2 cups to 4 1/2 cups of bean water. The amount of bean water you add will determine how thick or thin your kong-gukmul (bean puree) will be. I prefer a thick konggukmul, so 3 1/2 cups is perfect for me. However, if you prefer it thinner, add more bean water. Blend until smooth. This konggukmul can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days, but I recommend eating it as soon as possible.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your choice of noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles under cold water, rubbing them to remove excess starch and achieve a chewier texture.
Place the noodles in a serving bowl and add a few ice cubes. Pour the konggukmul over the noodles (approximately 2 cups per serving) and garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, black sesame seeds, and/or julienned cucumber. Personally, I prefer simple Kongguksu with minimal or no toppings at all, so I can fully enjoy the pure taste of Kongguksu.
Serve Kong Guksu with salt and kimchi. I hope you give it a try this summer and enjoy!

Notes

Here’s how I enjoy it: first, I take a couple of bites of the pure konggukmul by itself. Then, I sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt (or more to taste) and enjoy the konggukmul again. Finally, I mix in the noodles and enjoy them with kimchi.

Prep Time: 6 hours
Cook Time: 10 mins