Today we are going to make a delicious cold noodle soup with coconut curry!
That means a fresh, creamy soup based on coconut milk and curry, served with noodles and crunchy vegetables. Because the soup is eaten cold, it is perfect for hot days - refreshing, yet full of flavor.
Cold noodle soup is native to several Asian cuisines, where it has been eaten for centuries, especially during hot summers. In Korea, naengmyeon a well-known dish: long, elastic buckwheat or sweet potato noodles in an ice-cold, often slightly sour broth. This dish is traditionally eaten in summer, as well as during holidays. In Japan, people know hiyashi chūka, a cold noodle meal with sauce and various toppings, popular in the summer months. Although not a soup in the traditional sense, it is very similar to cold noodle soups in perception.
Variations also exist in China, such as cold sesame or peanut noodles, often with a spicy sauce. These dishes are popular for their refreshing nature and are often sold on the street or in small eateries. In modern fusion kitchens today, you also see cold noodle soups with influences from Southeast Asian cuisine, for example with coconut and curry - a fusion of flavors from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Cold noodle soups are thus eaten in much of Asia and have now become popular outside Asia as well. They offer a light, flavorful meal perfect for warm weather.
Soup is often thought of as a warm, winter dish - something to warm up to when it's cold. But in summer, when temperatures rise, you usually don't feel like having a steaming bowl of soup. Yet soup is quite possible even in summer - provided you serve it cold.
Cold soups, like this cold noodle soup with coconut curry, are especially meant for hot days. They are fresh, light and hydrating, and they do give you the nutrition and taste of a meal soup, but without heating your body extra. This makes it an ideal way to still eat soup in the summer without feeling uncomfortable.
Therefore, in many cultures it is quite normal to eat cold soup in the summer. Think for example of gazpacho here in Spain or naengmyeon in Korea. Such a dish is cooling, refreshing and filling - a perfect combination on hot days.
So with cold soup, you enjoy the convenience and versatility of soup, but in a summery, thirst-quenching form.
Cut the clove of garlic into thin slices. Heat some oil in a frying pan and sauté the garlic in it along with the curry paste.
Then put this in the blender with the coconut milk, water, ice cube, lime juice and peanut butter. Blend until smooth.
Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the eggs as you like them (hard or soft). Bring another pan of water to a boil and cook the noodles in it according to the package directions.
Cut the cucumber into thin strips and the radish into thin slices.
Divide the noodles among the plates and spread the coconut curry sauce on top. Add the cucumber, radish and boiled eggs and garnish with the cilantro and sesame seeds.
