Kuksi
Koryo-saram cold noodles in an icy soy and vinegar broth, piled with beef, cucumber, egg and kimchi.
August in Talas is an oven. The asphalt in our courtyard goes soft, the geraniums on my balcony droop by noon, and nobody wants to stand at a hot stove. On days like these I think of the summers I stayed with Olga in Nurzhan. Her mother Tamara sent us across the courtyard to the Korean neighbour, who kept a pot of cold broth in her fridge all summer. She filled our bowls with ice, noodles and a little of everything, and we ate on the stairs with bare feet on the cool concrete.
Kuksi is what Koryo-saram women made in Central Asia from the cold noodle soups their grandmothers remembered. The broth is sharp and a little sweet, and the toppings change with the season. Mine always has morkovcha on the side, and Aruu fishes out the ice cubes to crunch.
What you'll need
Good to know
Can I make it ahead?
Make the broth, fry the beef and cut the omelette the day before and keep them covered in the fridge. Cook the noodles just before serving.
How long does it keep?
The broth keeps 3 days in the fridge and the toppings 2 days. Cooked noodles go soft and stick together, so don’t keep them.
Can I freeze it?
The broth freezes for up to 3 months; thaw it in the fridge. The noodles and toppings don’t freeze well.
What can I use instead?
Japanese somen or thin spaghetti for Korean noodles. If you have no kimchi, use Korean carrot salad, or both if you are greedy like me.
Kuksi
Koryo-saram cold noodles in an icy soy and vinegar broth, piled with beef, cucumber, egg and kimchi.
Ingredients
servings- For the broth
- For the toppings
Instructions
Method
- Make the broth. Stir the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic into the cold broth until the sugar dissolves. Taste: it should be sour, salty and a little sweet. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, until very cold.
- Salt the cucumbers. Toss them with the salt, leave for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the water.
- Make the egg ribbons. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat a drop of oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat, pour in half and tilt the pan to make a thin omelette. Cook 1 minute, turn, cook 30 seconds more. Repeat, then roll the omelettes and slice them into thin ribbons.
- Fry the beef. Heat the remaining oil over high heat and fry the beef for 2 minutes until browned. Add the onion and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, until the beef is cooked through. Stir in the soy sauce and coriander and let it cool.
- Cook the noodles. Boil them in plenty of water as the packet says, usually 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water, rubbing them with your hands, until cold and no longer starchy. Drain well.
- Build the bowls. Put a few ice cubes in each deep bowl, add a nest of noodles, and arrange the beef, cucumber, egg, tomato and kimchi on top in little heaps.
- Pour and serve. Ladle about 350 ml of cold broth into each bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds, chilli flakes and spring onions, and serve at once.
With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek
