Cold soy milk noodle soup (Kongguksu: 콩국수) is great for the summertime: it’s a dish of thin wheat flour noodles in a cold, creamy, nutty and refreshing soy milk broth.
I first shared my kongguksu recipe on my website nine years ago! I’m always experimenting and testing in my kitchen to make more delicious version of my recipes, so now it’s time to share this new version. The real secret to this recipe is in making nice smooth soy milk. A powerful blender is useful or you can just keep grinding the beans until you have smooth milk.
Let’s make such a simple, quick, nutritious, and delicious kongguksu and enjoy our summer!
Ingredients (2 servings)
- ½ cup dried soy beans (90 grams), washed and soaked in cold water for overnight
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 8 ounces somyeon (thin wheat flour noodles)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 hard boiled egg, shelled and cut into 8 equal pieces
- ½ cup cucumber matchsticks
- 1 small tomato, sliced
- 10 to 12 ice cubes, optional
Soaked soy beans
Directions
Make the soy milk
- Strain the beans and add them to a heavy pot with 2 cups of water. Cook for 15 minutes over medium high heat, uncovered. Then cover and simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat.
- Remove from the heat. Uncover, stir, and let them cool down for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the beans and the water from cooking them (about ½ cup) to a blender. Add 3 cups of cold water, the pine nuts, and the sesame seeds.
- Blend at high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is smooth and creamy. It may take longer depending on the power of your blenders.
- Transfer the soy milk to an airtight container or glass jar and refrigerate for up to 24 hours until you’re ready to make kongguksu.
Cook the noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium high heat.
- Add the noodles and stir them with a wooden spoon so they don’t stick together. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. If it boils over, stir and crack the lid.
- Taste a sample to see if the noodles are cooked. You can use chopsticks or tongs. There shouldn’t be anything hard in the noodles when you chew them. If there is, cook them longer. If they are done, remove from the heat.
- Transfer the noodles to a large strainer and rinse them in cold running water. Gently rub the noodles between your palms and in the strainer until they are cold and not slippery. Divide the noodles into 2 equal portions and gently squeeze excess water from each portion and put them into 2 large shallow bowls.
Put it together
- Bring the soy milk from the refrigerator. Add the salt and stir it in well with a wooden spoon. You can add more or less salt depending on your taste.
- Pour the soy milk on top of the noodles in each bowl. Place cucumber, egg, tomato pieces on top of the noodles. Add some ice cubes if you use. Serve right away with kimchi and a few more side dishes.
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This recipe looks delicious and I want to try this at home. I am sure my family would really like it also.We all know that Korean cuisines are very healthy and delicious just like this kongguksu. Thank you Maangchi for the recipes that you’ve shared in here. Keep on posting lots of recipes.
Thank you so much for your nice words! Yes, this kongguksu broth is really delicious.
My cousine has been making it every morning for breakfast for her and her husband for years.
She put each portion of cooked soybeans in the freezer and every morning take one package and blend it with nuts and milk. She eats it with vegetable and fruit salad. She is in her 60s but she doesn’t have any problems with her health and besides she looks really younger than her age.
I was just thinking “oh it’s been so hot lately, I want to try making this” so I got the soybeans and let them soak overnight. But it had been raining all night, so it’s not hot at all anymore, lol. Instead, I made the broth and had it with my morning porridge. Usually I use just regular milk but this was so delicious I might switch to soymilk permanently. :D
What a cute story it is! : ) ” I made the broth and had it with my morning porridge.” smart!
I think this is too healthy for me :x but it’s a wonderful recipe. The tomatoes helped to add some natural saltiness. The cucumber added crunch to the noodles. I used somen and it was good. I had extra unsalted soy milk so it became my breakfast the next day. I blended it with some honey!
awesome!
Hi Maangchi! I just came across your website last night after i had a sudden craving for Konggooksoo. I did not know that it was so easy to make! OMG I love your recipes and I have been hooked since last night viewing your youtube videos. I am Korean but don’t know how to cook very well since my mom used to do all the cooking but now she’s back in Korea and nobody to cook Korean food! You make it look so easy to cook. You are like a Jamie Oliver for Korean food.
Thank you for your cool compliment! Especially because I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver! : ) Kongguksu is delicious! My cousin drinks homemade soy milk for breakfast, without noodles. Healthy and delicious food
언니!! Thank you so much for all your recipes!!! You are my life saver! 콩국수 was super delicious I finished all the soup to the very last drop! Even my mother in law said it was good and she is normally very picky about what she eats! I am truly thankful for your website! Because of you my family thinks I’m a chef ;)! I am going to make this again very soon! Yum! I didn’t even use mixed nuts or sesame seeds and it was still really good!
awesome! yummy! ^^
Hello there, Can I serve this in hot? Thanks!
is ok that the soup that has little thing in it? you know, the nuts and the bean is hard to crash into something like power for my blender
The best result is that the soybeans are liquified as soft creamy broth. Blend it longer until it’s creamy.
Looks sooo refreshing, yet another of your fantastic recipes. :) Reminds me of some Korean cold noodle soup that I had the other day at a Korean barbeque restaurant. I believe it’s called dong chimi gooksoo (sorry for the spelling). Do you think you would be able to share a recipe of it :)? Thanks!
dongchimi guksu is very delicious! Your spelling is very right! : ) Yes, it’s one of my upcoming recipes. Thank you!
Thanks for this recipe coz my mom and I love it so much. You really do cook much better than my mom. =P I love your website a lot. ^^
” You really do cook much better than my mom” shhh! Your mom won’t be happy to hear about it. : )
Kong guksu is one of my favorite foods, but for a long time I was the only one at home who liked it, so I didn’t make it very often. Thanks to your recipe, I got inspired to make it during the recent hot weather, and suddenly I get requests for it often! We’ve made it 4 times in the last couple weeks. Yay!
(We even figured out that whole wheat fettucini works OK for the noodles, while trying to make it in rural Iowa, where guksu is not so easy to find!)
yay! Congratulations! Whole wheat fettucini works well? It sounds like very healthy food.
Hi Maangchi,
Do you think if i use your soy milk recipe on steam chicken as a sauce or gravy instead would taste nice? Basically, i replace the noodles with steamed chicken while everything remains the same? Any comments?
“soy milk recipe on steam chicken as a sauce or gravy instead would taste nice?” great idea! But if you want to use it as gravy sauce, make it thicker. When you blend it, use less water.
I tried making the soy milk but i found the texture a bit to grainy. So i blended longer, but still can’t get that smooth texture. Btw, to make it thicker i added in less water. Any comments?
It sounds like finely ground soybeans. Try pouring through a cheesecloth over a strainer to filter it.
I love this soup!! This is the very first Korean recipe that I learned to make (except kalbi) and the Korean teachers at my school were all so suprised to see me bring it for lunch every day, and even more suprised that I made it the traditional way. I look forward to trying it with the nuts added
Wonderful!
yes, when you use some nuts, the broth will be much more delicious.
Hi Maangchi! Thank you so much for this recipe and all of your recipes and videos. My parents are very excited that I am finally learning how to make Korean food. Kongguksu is one of my father’s favorite foods, and I was able to make this for him for Father’s Day. Thank you!
What a lovely present for father’s day!
Hi Maangchi,
I’d like to make this soup for summer, since it is quite hot now here in New Delhi, India. Around 45 degrees!! In Rotterdam, the Netherlands (as Reinier), where I come from, it seldom exceeds 30 degrees in summer, so you can imagine I feel like bulgogi now…
I find it very difficult to get rid of the soybean skins just by scrubbing…. I’ve scrubbing the beans for 20 times and then they fell apart :( Is there anything I could’ve done better? Longer cooking time?
Thanks for all of your easy and wonderful recipes, I’m so glad you have uncovered the secrets of the Korean kitchen for all of us! ^_^
Remove the skins of soybeans as thoroughly as you can, but it doesn’t mean you have to skin each soy bean. When they are soaked longer, you can skin them more easiy. Good luck! : )
Dear Maangchi,
Do you think that soybean powder would work just as well? I would boil it first then chill before adding the noodles. Also, what kind of noodle would be ideal?
I have never used soybean powder for this kongguksu, so I can’t give you the good answer. The noodles that I use for this recipe is here:
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/somyeon
I do not like cold noodle. Could I have it hot instead?
My hot(temperature) noodle soup recipe will be posted someday in the future. The noodles for naengmyun is usually used for only cold noodles.
Hey, can i just buy the fresh soy milk from the market instead of doing it myself? Will it spoil the whole dish?
I don’t know the answer.
This soybean milk tastes different from the soy milk at the market. I don’t think it would work the same.
Thank you, Angie!
You could try using store-bought soymilk that is just soybeans and water. I agree with ‘a’, below. A supermarket might have it, but you have a better chance finding it at an organic shop or an Asian market. The Asian market soymilks are the same light (read: ‘thin’) consistency as fresh homemade soymilk, but they sometimes have sugar. Why not try it, you might like it!
Where I live, the asian supermarkets often make their own tofu and soy milk. I noticed the chinese unsalted soy milk is the closest approximation to the taste of this recipe. Might need to doctor it up a bit (add some salt, etc.) to make it taste right though.
I am absolutely addicted to this dish. Everyday I wake up craving it xD
But I noticed that its a bit hard to eat if you put too much mixed nuts in it (like I do). Do most people strain their kongguksu before eating it? Or did I not blend it long enough?
Thank you so much for this recipe Maangchi! I never liked soy milk before, now I can’t get enough of it!
yes, you will have to blend it until it gets very soft (maybe 3 minutes?). Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to swallow. : )
Having soy milk in the morning is a very good habit! I’m happy for you!
What other dishes can you use the thin noodles in? My sister bought me a large bag of these noodles by accident and I’d like to use them as much as possible. Thank you!
For a quick meal, make the anchovy stock and boil with Dasima and onion. Cut up some ripe kimchi and add a little raw sugar to it and mix in a different bowl and put aside (Add the sugar to your taste). After the stock soup is done, only use the stock and add the noodles to it. Also add some of the kimchi and a Soy Sauce made for soup base to your taste. You can also add cooked korean squash (with a little garlic and salt for taste).
Another quick meal, is add soy sauce for soup base, sesame oil, and a little sugar to the noodles and mix. Then slice up some cucumbers or kimchi and add to it. I make this for my kids on a lazy day.
good suggestion! Thank you!
Wow, thank you.
hi maangchi!
I’m one of your followers also. Your site is really beneficial to us. Therfore, I’m so thankful to you because you’ve shared to us your easy recipes.
By the way, pls help me or recommend to me other recipes which are good for babies and pre-schoolers. I’m married to a korean and i’m a filipina. I’m having a hard time preparing for my baby’s food. I’ve tried your bibimpap,kimbap,bulgogi and other non spicy foods. she likes it.
I hope to learn more tips from you. more power maangchi!
How about my egg side dish, abalone porridge, cod jeon?
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/egg-side-dishes
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/jeonbokjuk
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/daegu-jeon
Hi Maangchi !
I really like this recipe for the summer. It helps me stay coool throughout the summer. It’s been really hot these days in Temecula !
Yes, as I mentioned on my blog, adding a little bit of mixed nuts was a secret to make this dish delicious! I learned it from my cousin very recently. I used to use only either pine nuts or roasted sesame seeds.
Hi Maangchi :)
I left you an award on my blog, you can pick it up if you’d like it’s okay if you don’t though since I know some bloggers don’t do awards since it’s time consuming or simply just don’t like it on their blog which is perfectly fine :)
http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2009/07/kreative-blog-award.html
The one and only time I’ve ever had this dish was when a friend of my mom’s prepared it one afternoon. I’d never had anything like it before…never even heard of it prior to that first taste. At first, I didn’t recognize it as soy milk. I honestly thought she had put the noodles in seasoned milk, until I realized the consistency (and to a degree the taste) was different. We ate ours with turnip kimchee.
I wish I could say that I really liked it, but it was just a bit too bland for my palate. I’m more of a spicy soup kind of girl, with the exception of myuk-guk..which I can eat gallons of.
It’s wonderful that you have it on your site though. My mom is a fan of this dish, so I’m grateful that I’ll have recipe to follow should she ever crave it.
maangchi, i made kongguksu today. SO GOOD! here are some photos of it. thanks so much, as always! :D
This recipe looks SOO delicious and I want to try it so bad but my husband doesn’t go in for cold soups!! I hope I can convince him to try it!
How wonderful! I am vegetarian and sometimes wish I could have naengmyeon in the summer, but this looks like a great alternative. This motivates me to buy a blender (mine has been broken for a while). I can make this and maybe even bindaetteok. Maangchi, do you think that I could use the first part of the recipe, where you make the soymilk, to make soymilk to keep in the fridge for drinking? Or do you have to drink it fresh out of the blender. Thanks, Maangchi!
Fresh drink is the best! Freeze individual portions of cooked soybeans in plastic bags or zip locks and make soy milk whenever you want. You can use milk instead of water. My cousin drinks it every morning.
Dear Maangchi,
The other day my mom bought home some soybean soup from the store. She said it was expensive and she was craving it.
After the noodles were all ready, my younger sister opened the refrigerator and the container with the soybean soup fell out and broke. It was tragic :[
I felt so bad I wanted to go to the place my mom bought the soup to replace it! But she wouldn’t tell me where she bought it and came home the next day with a really bad tasting supermarket brand version of it.
I can’t wait to try this recipe out! Everytime I make your recipes for my family, they really enjoy it :] They think I’m a really good cook =x
Thanks for everything Maangchi!
Your family must lo~ve soya milk! Wonderful! Homemade soya milk tastes much better than the soy milk in the store!
Maangchi: Here is another question. For lazy people like myself, can you use 2-1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk for a quick recipe?
ooh! I have never thought about making kongguksu with the store sold soya milk! I wouldn’t do that.
Hi Maangchi! Why do Korean girls have such nice skin? My sister-in-law tells me it’s the Korean diet. Is that true?
Thank you for posting this healthy recipe. I will give this a try with soba noodles.
Also, do you have a recipe for the Korean roasted corn tea?
maybe it’s the good bacteria in kimchi.
Hi Maangchi,
Have you ever heard of Korean brand “Livart”? I saw this nice mini mixer in Hanahreum Vancouver and have a hard time deciding whether to buy the set or the Magic Bullet. Maybe you’ve seen this product before. The color is green and it looks so much like the Magic Bullet. In case you know, can I use the mixer as a food processor and as blender at the same time? And is the quality good?
Thank you in advance, Maangchi. Thank you for sharing your recipes, too :)).
I don’t know about the brand name “Livart” or “Magic Bullet”. I should check it out when I go to a Korean store later.
Leave your question: https://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/general-discussion
I think it’s going to be a good topic to discuss
I have the Livart blender you are describing and I love it! It’s made by LG and is very similar to the Magic Bullet, except the diameter of the Livart is smaller so the blender cups are not interchangeable. I personally think it’s cuter with it’s two-tone “creamsicle” look. My sister-in-law gave it to me and I use it to make smoothies and nutritional shakes.
As to the quality/durability of the Livart, I’ve had it for about 6 years and have never had any problems with it. When I’m on my “nutritional kick” (like right now) I use it every day. (Then at times I don’t use it for many months.) It blends ice cubes to a nice creamy consistency very quickly.
Right now I’m on one of my nutritional kicks again so I make a protein shake in the morning as my breakfast-on-the-go. For lunch I have another shake which I make at work with a regular blender. I noticed the blender doesn’t do as great a job on the ice cubes as the Livart. My co-worker is on the same “diet” and she has her Magic Bullet at work (that’s how come I know the cups are not interchangeable). They seem to work comparably, but I think the Magic Bullet is more expensive and has more options in accessories (like a full-size blender container, a juicer, etc.) which the Livart doesn’t have. Because I didn’t buy it, I’m just guessing that it’s less expensive than the Magic Bullet.
Hope this helps!
Hello!!
Its So easy I m 105% Sure I will Make This
But Can I Use Naeng Myun Instead Of Guksu noodles
?
oh, no, no, no! : )
Naengmyun noodles don’t go with this dish.
Very nice with this weather, i love the big smile at the end :}
wow!! looks so good, i can’t wait to make this. i even have some soybeans lying around the pantry, all i need is those noodles. is it okay to use brown soba noodles?
hmm, good question! I always use white and thin noodles for this recipe, but you could use brown soba noodles,too. why not!
Brown Soba noodles are a healthy alternative to the white, thin noodles. I’ve tried both, and personally prefer the white, thin noodles. The white noodles absorb the taste of the soybean soup whereas the brown soba noodles don’t quite do the same.
Maangchi, your website is great and I highly recommend your website to all my friends back in Cali.
Maangchi! I love your videos. Since i found you on youtube, i’ve been HOOKED! I’m korean myself and LOVE COOKING and i’m so glad i found you, now i can cook korean food more often!! kong gook su is my favorite summer food. now i can make that at home. thanks!!
I’m so glad to be found by you! lol!
Hi Maangchi, you are so cute:), thank you to post so many recipes, they are unbelivable good…
Thank you!
Are the mixed nuts salted or unsalted? Since you add salt anyway, I guess it may not matter (if you adjust the salt to suit), but I’d still like to make it properly.
They are salted. I bought it from Costco.