Bibim Guksu. One of my favorite Korean noodles to eat during Summer. Bibim Guksu is made by blanching Somyeon (thin Korean wheat noodles) and gently tossing them in a light flavorful marinade. The dish is then topped off with fresh vegetables.
Today, we will be doing two versions of this noodle dish. The first version is more traditional and uses a spicy-yet-sweet Gochujang sauce. The second version is less common but dare-i-say, even more delicious! We will toss the noodles in a flavored soy sauce and top it off with a poached egg.
Please note that Bibim Guksu is eaten cold. And it doesn’t have a broth either.
Also, if you are ever go on a date with a Korean girl … try suggesting it for lunch 🙂 Quite popular among women in Korea – as the noodles are thin and light on the stomach.
Bibim Guksu - Mixed Cold Noodles
Ingredients
Spicy Bibim Guksu
- Somyeon Thin Korean Wheat Flour Noodles - 1 quarter-sized bundle
- Kimchi - 1/2 cup if you have aged Kimchi, even better
- Hardboiled Egg - 1
- Cucumber - 1/4 a whole
- Gim - 2 sheets optional, garnish
- Baby Greens - handful optional, garnish
Spicy Gochujang Sauce
- Gochujang Korean red chili paste - 1 Tablespoon
- Gochugaru Korean red chili flakes - 1 teaspoon
- Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 3/4 Tablespoon just estimate
- Sesame oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
- Sesame seeds - 1/2 Tablespoon
Soy-Sauce Bibim Guksu
- Somyeon Thin Korean Wheat Flour Noodles - 1 quarter-sized bundle
- Cucumber - 1/4 a whole
- Poached Egg - 1
Flavored Soy-Sauce Dressing
- Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Mirin or any cooking wine - 1 teaspoon
- Sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
- Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
- Sesame seeds - a dash
Instructions
Spicy Bibim Guksu Noodles
- Cut cucumber into thin slices. Then julienne them into thin, match-stick pieces. Chop Kimchi into thin slices as well
- Make marinade: Mix gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and sesame seeds together.
- Then hard-boil an egg (optional).
- Put water into a pot. Place it on a medium-high heat and bring up to boil. While you wait, fill a cup with cold water. Once the pot starts to boil, place noodles in. The pot will then start foaming to the brim. Put in a dash of the cold water - and the foam will settle back down. But it will begin to foam-up again. Pour cold water in again. Repeat this process a total of 3 times. After the third time, taste and check to see if the noodle has been fully cooked through. Drain the water and rinse noodles under cold water. Set aside and let the excess water drip off.
- Take out a mixing bowl. Place in the cooked noodles, Kimchi and the spicy marinade. Mix them together.
- Place in your serving bowl. Top it off with cucumbers, sliced gim and baby greens. Enjoy!
Soy Sauce Bibim Guksu
- Cut cucumber into thin slices. Then julienne them into thin, match-stick pieces.
- Make marinade: Take out a bowl and thoroughly mix soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, vinegar and sesame seeds together.
- Cook noodles: Put water into a pot. Put on a medium-high heat and bring up to boil. While you wait, fill a cup with cold water. Once the pot starts to boil, place noodles in. The pot will then start foaming to the brim. Put in a dash of the cold water - and the foam will settle back down. But it will begin to foam-up again. Pour cold water in again. Repeat this process a total of 3 times. After the third time, taste and check to see if the noodle has been fully cooked through. Drain the water and rinse noodles under cold water. Set aside and let the excess water drip off.
- Poach egg - reference video for steps
- Toss cooked noodles in marinade. Place poached egg and cucumber strips on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- See video below for more details
What exactly does the boiling three times and adding the cold water do to the noodles? Is it for the texture? Also I heard vinegar helps poached eggs coagulate; does salt do the same thing? Love your YouTube channel and blog! 🙂
Hi Miffy! These noodles – when boiled – foams up quickly and will spill over. A splash of cold water makes the foam settle back down. If you repeat this process 3x, its equal to just the right amount of time for the noodles to cook evenly.