Asian-Style Cucumber Soup

Name: Asian-Style Cucumber Soup
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups chicken stock, preferably chilled; 2 medium cucumbers; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar; 1 small fresh chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced, or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1/2 cup minced scallion; 1 cup chopped watercress or arugula (optional); 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, mint, Thai basil, or a combination

December 20, 2011

For years I was stuck on blended or cooked cucumber soups, until I was served a clear, chunky, ice-cold soup laced with soy and with the sour-sweet-salty-spicy combination characteristic of so much Southeast Asian cooking. After I duplicated that, it occurred to me to make a similar preparation with nam pla (fish sauce) and coconut milk, an equally spicy but wonderfully creamy concoction. I know I’ll never use either the blender or the stove to make cucumber soup again.

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