When the weather gets hot and steamy, cold noodle soup hits the spot. Asian countries north of the equator such as Japan and Korea have perfected the art as they both share sweltering summer heat and cold, bitter winters.
The original recipe by Emily Ho called for ice; I omitted it as it was not excessively hot today and the cold broth worked perfectly to make the noodles cooling, light and refreshing. I also added carrots as an extra ingredient because asian pears, included in the original, are not in season at this time of year; i thought the sweetness and crunch of carrots would complement the soup; they added colour and worked well! The noodles tasted delicious. This recipe makes enough broth for about 4 generous bowls of noodles.
Korean-Style Cold Noodles
ingredients
Broth
6 cups homemade vegetable soup stock (no salt or fats added)
1 heaping tbs peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 brown onions, peeled and chopped into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tbs raw honey
4 tbs No fish sauce or No soy sauce (substitutes - coconut aminos, Redboat/Son Fish Sauce or soy sauce)
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt (omit if using fish or soy sauce)
2- 4 tbs fresh lime/lemon juice
Topping
1 Lebanese cucumber, ends trimmed, peeled and julienned, per bowl
1/4 - 1/2 carrot, end trimmed, peeled and julienned, per bowl
1 thick slice of daikon, peeled and grated, per bowl or 1 red radish, julienned, per bowl
juice from 1/2 lime or lemon
1 tsp raw honey
3 pinches of pink Himalayan salt per bowl
activated or toasted sesame seeds, for topping (optional)
Atlantic nori seaweed, toasted and crushed, for toppeing
1/4 tsp mustard, per serving
Noodles
70-90 grams organic sweet potato noodles, per serve
Method
For the broth, place all the ingredients listed under the broth (except for the lime/lemon juice) in a dutch oven, cover and bring to a boil on the stove top. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the broth cool to room temperature. Strain the broth through a fine mesh in to a glass container. Add the fresh lime or lemon juice, taste and adjust accordingly. Store in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator preferably overnight or at least for one hour.
For the toppings, juice half a lime, add the honey and mix until thoroughly combined. Using a mandolin, julienne the cucumber with the larger blade, julienne the carrot and red radish with the smaller blade or grate the daikon. Add each to seperate bowls and toss with a pinch of salt and a tsp of lime and honey. Let them sit while preparing the noodles.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the sweet potato noodles according to package instructions. Strain and rinse in cold water. While the noodles cook, toast the sesame seeds and Atlantic nori in a frying pan on a very low heat.
Mix the mustard with the cold soup broth. Place the noodles on top. Add the the cucumbers, carrots and daikon. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with crispy nori flakes.
Enjoy!
