Sweet & Sour Chilled Seaweed and Cucumber Soup (Baek Jong-won’s Golden Ratio)
Beat the Heat: Easy Baek Jong-won’s Seaweed & Cucumber Cold Soup Recipe (No Cooking!)
On sweltering summer days, wouldn’t a cool and refreshing cold soup like cucumber soup or seaweed and cucumber soup be more appealing than hot stews or soups? I can barely imagine standing over a hot stove in this heat! Many people follow Baek Jong-won’s recipe for seaweed and cucumber cold soup, so I decided to give it a try. This recipe is wonderful because anyone can make it easily, as long as they remember the golden ratio! It’s clean, refreshing, and perfectly sweet and sour. Shall we make this delightful seaweed and cucumber cold soup together?
Main Ingredients- 1 cucumber
- 1.5 cups rehydrated seaweed (approx. 5g dried seaweed)
- 1/2 onion (optional, not in Baek Jong-won’s original recipe but delicious if added)
- 1 red chili pepper
- 1 green chili pepper (added based on Baek Jong-won’s recommendation)
- Coarse salt (for rehydrating seaweed)
Sweet & Sour Chilled Broth- 6 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 600ml water
- Sesame seeds for garnish
- 6 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 600ml water
- Sesame seeds for garnish
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the ingredients for the golden ratio broth. Baek Jong-won’s recipe omits onion and adds one green chili pepper. (Ingredients: 1 cucumber, 1.5 cups rehydrated seaweed, 1 red chili pepper, 1 green chili pepper, 6 Tbsp vinegar, 4 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp salt, 600ml water, sesame seeds).
Step 2
It’s crucial to remove any fishy smell from the seaweed. Rehydrate 5g of dried seaweed in cold water for about 10-20 minutes. Once rehydrated, gently rub and rinse the seaweed thoroughly under running water. For an even cleaner taste, you can briefly blanch the rehydrated seaweed in boiling water, then immediately rinse it under cold water. Cut the seaweed into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3
For the cucumber, peel it and cut it into thin julienne strips. This helps reduce excess water and improves the texture. Finely chop the red and green chili peppers after removing the seeds. (You can adjust the amount of chili peppers based on your spice preference.)
Step 4
In a large bowl, combine the julienned cucumber, chopped chili peppers, and the rehydrated seaweed. (If you’re adding onion, include it now.) Pour in the golden ratio liquids: 6 Tbsp vinegar, 4 Tbsp sugar, and 600ml water. Instead of the 1 Tbsp salt from Baek Jong-won’s recipe, you can add a little fish sauce for an extra umami boost.
Step 5
If you plan to serve it immediately, simply mix all the seasoning ingredients in the bowl. Stir well until everything is evenly combined.
Step 6
Add a generous amount of ice to make it extra refreshing. Since adding ice can dilute the soup, taste it and add a little more salt or fish sauce if needed to maintain the rich flavor.
Step 7
Isn’t this incredibly easy? The #BaekJongWonSeaweedSoup recipe is foolproof if you remember the #6:4:1:6 ratio (Vinegar:Sugar:Salt:Water).
Step 8
This seaweed and cucumber cold soup, made simply without cooking, transforms into a delicious side dish perfect for a meal, even on the hottest summer days.
Step 9
When the heat gets unbearable, this refreshing, sweet, and sour cold soup feels incredibly revitalizing! If you’re wondering what to make for dinner tonight, why not try this cooling seaweed and cucumber cold soup to beat the heat?
