“Cold flavor” from cold food and dishes made with cool food ingredients is something that cannot be excluded on the summer table. The skill of our ancestors in creating summer food that protected their health by reviving their lost appetite and cooling down their body during summer is preserved in the old books. 

Sources and references. ‌《Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop(by Lee Yonggi, Rice Tree)
                                                Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal(www.koreantk.com)
                                                Encyclopedia of Korean Culture 

Naengguk, a Fine Taste Discovered in Summer

“The taste is upright so the daily meal is vulgar(in comparison).” The dish that Yi Gyubo from Koryo Dynasty praised like this is “soongaeng”. <Joseon Yoribeop>(1939) written by Cho Jahoh states, “Changguk is recommended in summer when you have no appetite”. “Soongaeng” and “changguk” here are naengguk(chilled soup). <Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop>(1924) written by Lee Yonggi states, “Changguk is changuk(cold soup) eaten during summer. There is nothing other than cheonggukmyeon to eat cold during winter, and this is different from naengmyeon.” 
Naengguk made by adding vegetables as geonji(bits of solid meat and vegetable ingredients) and seasoning with soy sauce, oil, and vinegar into chilled soup and soy sauce-water is an ideal dish for the summer table with its cool, refreshing, and fine taste. A variety of naengguk is made depending on the types of geonji added to it and <Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop> cites “Oechangguk” as the best.

Cold Flavors Found in the Palace
“Imjasutang” is considered as the best cold, nourishing dish eaten during summer. Imjasutang, which has the modifier, the royal court’s naengguk, is made by grinding sesame seeds in chilled chicken broth. It is also called “ggatguktang(sesame soup)”. Imja in imjasutang means sesame seeds. “Baekmajatang” is made with white sesame seeds. Shredded chicken, egg garnish, water parsley, cucumber strips, golden oak mushrooms, and beef meatballs are often added as garnish.
Chogyetang(cold chicken soup) is also included in the cool nourishing food. 

How to Make Chogyetang
Main ingredients    1 young chicken, 2 cucumbers, 1 small abalone, 3 golden oak mushrooms, 3 sea cucumbers, 1/2 pear, 2 Tbsp pine nuts, 2 hops(1 hop = about 180 ml) sesame seeds, 2 eggs, soy sauce, a little bit of sesame salt and pepper, 1 green onion, a little bit of sesame oil, and wheat noodles
How to make it    ① ‌Remove the husks from the sesame seeds. Put a white paper in the pot, pour the sesame seeds little by little, stir-fry them, pour in the water, and sift through a sieve each time.
② ‌Clean and boil the chicken. Slice the meat thinly and season it with various seasonings. 
③ ‌Cut the stem of the cucumber, thinly slice the skin, and cut into flat slices. Salt it lightly, rinse in water, and squeeze the water out. Add oil to a frying pan and stir-fry it lightly. 
④ ‌Soak the abalone and add it into the pot of boiling chicken. When it is cooked, take it out and cut it thinly.
⑤ ‌Soak the golden oak mushrooms and cut them flat.   
⑥ ‌After boiling the sea cucumber, cut it in half, clean the inside, and cut it into the same size as the other ingredients.
⑦ ‌Cut the pear into the same size.
⑧ ‌Make a garnish with the eggs. 
⑨ ‌Put all the ingredients in a bowl, season the sesame soup in ① with salt, add small pieces of crushed ice, and float pine nuts. 
⑩ ‌Make wheat noodles and put them in.Source: 《Joseon Yoribeop》(1943)

“Summer Naengmyeon”, the Flavor of Noodles Discovered in Summer

When we say cold noodles, we immediately think about naengmyeon. <Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop> introduces how to make summer and winter naengmyeons, and the summer naengmyeon is different from the naengmyeon we eat during summer. Jangguk Naengmyeon in <Joseon Eumsik Mandeuneun Beop: How to Make Joseon Dishes> and Kongguk Naengmyeon in <Ijo Gooojeong Yori Tonggo: Information on Joseon Royal Court Food> are also the dishes eaten during sambok(midsummer). 

How to Make Winter Naengmyeon

Main ingredients    Dongchimi juice, noodles, radish kimchi, pear, pork, and kimchi juice
Supplementary ingredients: Honey, egg garnish, golden oak mushroom, cabbage kimchi, pine nuts, red chili powder, citron, pepper, and soft pheasant meat
How to make it    ① ‌Pour dongchimi juice in a bowl. Soak the noodles in warm water for a while, drain it, and put it in another bowl. 
② ‌Slice the radish kimchi and pear diagonally. Cut the pork into thick slices, put it on top of the noodles, and pour kimchi juice over it. 
① ‌At this time, you can add honey, egg garnish, stir-fried golden oak mushrooms, white part of cabbage kimchi, pine nuts, or red chili powder according to your taste. 
③ ‌However, naengmyeon tastes better with four garnishes: radish kimchi, pear, pork, and red chili powder.
④ ‌Some people eat it with citron, while others eat it with pepper.
⑤ ‌After eating the noodles, have Sansajeonggwa (hawthorn fruits preserved in honey) or Yeongangjeonggwa (soft ginger preserved in honey) to cleanse your palate. 
⑥ ‌It is also good to have it with finely chopped and roasted tender pheasant meat. Source: 《Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop》(by Lee Yonggi, Rice Tree)

“Eochae”, the Safe Flavor of Fish Found in Summer

One of the safest ways to eat fish is “eochae”. Fish meat and various vegetables are coated in starch, blanched in boiling water, and rinsed in cold water to eat. As the fish is coated in starch, its nutrients are preserved as they are. <Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop> picks “Gray Mullet Eochae” for having the best taste and “Clam Eochae” for being a good nourishing dish with a good flavor. It also states that croaker is easy to get and it has a good taste, so it is mainly used for making eochae. 

How to Make Eochae

Main ingredients    Fish, starch, water parsley, green onion, black mushroom, hwanghwachae(seasoned day lily flower and stems), golden oak mushroom, stone mushroom, crown daisy, mother chrysanthemum leaves, omasum, tripe, end of cow intestine, lung, pheasant, pork, jumbo shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, ginger, chili pepper, egg, young cucumber, bellflower root, seasoned vegetables, and soy sauce with vinegar 

How to make it
① ‌Cut the head of any fish, remove the intestines, peel it, and cut only the flesh.
② ‌It can be cut lengthwise or into thick squares. 
③ ‌Dip the fish in starch, blanch it in boiling water, put it in cold water, and drain it on a strainer.
④ ‌Cut the water parsley, head of green onion, black mushroom, hwanghwachae, golden oak mushroom, stone mushroom, crown daisy, mother chrysanthemum leaves, omasum, tripe, end of cow intestine, lung, pheasant, pork, jumbo shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, ginger, chili pepper, egg garnish, and peeled young cucumber neatly, and coat them in starch. Cut the bellflower roots, dip them in yellow, blue, and pink water, and coat them in starch.  
⑤ ‌Blanch them separately, drain in cold water, and put them on a plate according to their colors. 
⑥ ‌When serving, mix fish meat and vegetables, garnish with eggs, stone mushroom, and red pepper, sprinkle with pine nuts, and eat it by dipping in vinegar.

How to Make Saengseonhoe(Sliced Raw Fish), Such as Croacker Hoe

<Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop> picks sliced raw croaker as the best raw fish to eat in June and July. It states that the taste of croakers caught before the end of June is the best in a year. It also advises to make hoe with fresh and fat fish to have good colored hoe that is suitable for the natures of many people. Moreover, it passes along a request to avoid making hoe with any fish that seems to be slightly spoiled. One of the two recipes is introduced here. 

Main ingredients    Fish, pine nut powder, makgeolli(unrefined rice wine), red chili paste with vinegar(mustard, salt, oil, and pepper), jinjang(mild soy sauce), radish, horseradish, ginger, green onion, and bokkeumgochujang(stir-fried red chili paste)

How to make it    
① ‌Look for the grain of the fish and slice it. 
② ‌Cut the fish finely, rub it in oil, and sprinkle pine nuts over it or slice it into 1/5 width of the fish. Place ice on a plate, cover it with a cloth, and place the sliced fish over it. It can also be soaked in makgeolli before use. 
③ ‌Eat it with cheonggukjang(sweet and sour red chili paste), mustard, or salt mixed with oil and pepper. Grind radish on a grater and put it in soy sauce, or grind the horseradish and eat it by dipping in the sauce, which offers a better flavor.
④ ‌When serving hoe, present it in the shape of a flower or a mountain, and add fragrant grass on the side. 
Tip Fish that are too large are not good for hoe because they have tendons. It is better to make it with medium-sized ones.Source: 《Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop》(by Lee Yonggi, Rice Tree)

How to Make Healthy Drinks for Summer

In quenching summer thirst, drinking healthy beverages is also very important. “Jehotang” and “Saengmaksan” are considered as the best summer nourishing drinks that protect your health. In the “Hwachae” part of <Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop>, it introduced a unique recipe for making “Kongguk”(chilled soybean soup) and “Gatguk”(chilled sesame soup) with iced water. In <How to Make Joseon Dishes> and <How to Make Korean Dishes>, the kongguk hwachae recipe is also introduced.

Source: 《Joseon Moosang Sinsik Yori Jebeop》(by Lee Yonggi, Rice Tree)