You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious bibim guksu recipe at home! These cold somyeon noodles are so refreshing and are coated in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce that takes seconds to mix together. You can be enjoying these spicy Korean cold noodles in 10 minutes or less!
This bibim guksu recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes! It features chewy somyeon noodles coated in a sweet, spicy, and tangy gochujang-based sauce that is bursting with flavor.
My partner loves bibim guksu! He’s always craving it and was always looking forward to ordering it while in Korea. He even has the pre-made packaged ones hanging out in our fridge! Little did he know, it’s shockingly easy to make it from scratch at home. So I went off to pick up some somyeon noodles to make his day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- While you can enjoy this recipe year-round, bibim guksu is a super popular summer dish as you enjoy it cold, making for a refreshing meal. It’s also super easy to make as the most cooking you’ll do is boiling the noodles. You definitely won’t break a sweat or heat up the kitchen making these spicy cold noodles.
- Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, at least in my household. You can find all the ingredients in the sauce used constantly in my other recipes, so if you buy something specific to make this bibim guksu recipe, there are a ton of ways to use it up!
- You can easily adjust the flavor of the sauce to suit your tastes. Want something less spicy? Use less gochujang. Want it sweeter? Add more sugar!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- wheat noodles — also known as somyeon noodles. You can easily find these noodles at most Korean or Asian grocery stores. You can also find them online on Amazon.
- gochujang — keep in mind that not all gochujang is the same! Check the container to see what the spice levels are! You can get a super spicy one or a mild one, depending on your preference.
- soy sauce — I usually use a low-sodium light soy sauce.
- sesame oil — I use pure sesame oil.
- rice vinegar — this adds a nice mild, slightly sweet flavor.
- minced garlic — my frozen pre-minced garlic is perfect for keeping prep time down for recipes!
- sugar — for some sweetness, to balance out the spiciness from the gochujang.
- kimchi juice — if you have kimchi, grab the container and get some of that kimchi juice! It adds a wonderful tangy flavor. If you don’t have any, feel free to skip it, but you’ll miss a bit of tang.
- toppings — while you don’t technically need toppings, I’m always a fan! I went with some green onions, sesame seeds, sliced cucumbers, and a jammy egg. Kimchi or any other fresh vegetables would make for a delicious addition.
How to Make Bibim Guksu
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, combine the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, kimchi juice, and 2 tablespoons of water in a large bowl.
- Once the water is ready, add the noodles to it and cook according to the package directions. Mine took 3 minutes to cook.
- Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.
- Add the noodles to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Garnish and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Make sure to mix the noodles well! Use clean (or gloved) hands or utensils to ensure that the sauce fully coats the noodles.
- The sauce for bibim guksu should be spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet. Use a good quality gochujang for the base, and adjust the spiciness level to your liking. Add a little less gochujang if you prefer it less spicy. Taste the sauce as you make it before adding the noodles, and adjust until you’re happy. Bibim guksu is a versatile dish that can be easily customized to suit your taste buds.
- If you cannot find the wheat noodles, you can swap them for buckwheat noodles/soba noodles.
- Bibim guksu is best served chilled or at room temperature, making it a perfect dish for hot weather. You can refrigerate the bibim guksu for a short while to let the flavors meld, and the noodles absorb the sauce, or you can serve it immediately after mixing.
- Bibim guksu is typically loaded with colorful vegetables, which add freshness, crunch, and nutrition to the noodles. Try adding some perilla leaves, Korean radishes, red bell peppers, bean sprouts, spinach, spring mix, or carrots! When making the soup version, I love adding pear to the broth, so sliced pear or apple makes for a refreshing addition to the toppings as well.
- Do not over boil the noodles or they’ll lose their bouncy, chewy texture!
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: store the bibim guksu in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Eggs: you can make a batch of hard or soft-boiled eggs and keep them in the fridge (unpeeled) until ready to serve with the cold noodles.
The spicy sauce used in bibim guksu is typically made with gochujang, a Korean fermented chili pepper paste, which gives the dish its distinctive spicy and savory flavor. Other ingredients commonly used include sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, and sesame seeds. You can adjust them however you’d like to make the sauce sweeter, spicier, or tangier.
Yes, you can! If you want to make these noodles even more hearty, add meat or seafood to bibim guksu. Sliced beef, chicken, pork, or shrimp can be cooked separately and added to the noodles as a topping.
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this delicious bibim guksu recipe at home! These cold somyeon noodles are so refreshing and are coated in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce that takes seconds to mix together. You can be enjoying these spicy Korean cold noodles in 10 minutes or less!
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 8 oz soemyeon noodles
- 3 tablespoons gochujang
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons kimchi juice, optional but recommended
Optional Garnishes
- toasted sesame seeds
- green onions
- hard or soft boiled egg
- cucumbers
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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Combine the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, sugar, kimchi juice, and 2 tablespoons of water in a large bowl.
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Once the water is ready, add the noodles to it and cook according to the package directions. Mine took 3 minutes to cook.
-
Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
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Add the noodles to the bowl of sauce and toss to coat.
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Garnish with your garnishes of choice and enjoy!
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 421mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 5mg
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