Bibim guksu is a Korean cold noodle dish with egg, kimchi and fresh vegetables that’s served with a spicy, tangy and sweet sauce. It only takes 25 minutes to make, perfect for days you’re looking for something with bold flavours but minimal prep.
Usually bibim guksu is served with boiled eggs. But I’m a huge fan of the jammy-style eggs like the Korean marinated eggs or the ones that you find in ramen bowls. I find any excuse to put them on top of noodles, rice or even in sandwiches! I didn’t marinate them for this recipe since the bibim guksu sauce is already very flavourful.
What’s in a bibim guksu (Korean spicy cold noodles)?
- Korean wheat flour noodles (somyeon): These are very thin wheat noodles. If you can’t find them, you can use soba noodles or even spaghetti.
- Egg: Typically boiled eggs. However, as I mentioned above, I make jammy-style eggs in this recipe because I find them so good! You could also add some tofu or chicken if you prefer.
- Fresh vegetables: In this recipe, I used cucumbers, lettuce and avocados, but lots of different veggies would be great here like carrots, scallions, bean sprouts or spring mix.
- Kimchi: I love kimchi so I put a lot in this recipe, but I whenever I eat this I still have the kimchi jar on the table so I can reach for more!
- Sauce: This spicy, tangy, sweet sauce is made with gochuchang (Korean chili paste), honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, apple juice, garlic and sesame seeds. You can also add some gochugaru (Korean chili powder) for an extra kick.
DIY serving idea
Normally you would mix the sauce and kimchi with the noodles and then add the toppings. A fun DIY idea is to serve it with all the ingredients laid out on the table. Everyone can choose what toppings they like and the amount of sauce they prefer.
For more light and healthy recipes, check out:
- Smoked salmon avocado sushi rice bowl
- Mediterranean farro salad
- Bacon and Brussels sprouts fried rice
- Easy salmon onigiri (Japanese rice balls)
Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
Bibim guksu is a Korean cold noodle dish with egg, kimchi and fresh vegetables that’s served with a spicy, tangy and sweet sauce. It only takes 25 minutes to make, perfect for days you’re looking for something with bold flavours but minimal prep.
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons gochuchang Korean chili paste
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons apple juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Optional: gochugaru Korean chili powder for extra spice
For the noodles and vegetables
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup loosely packed lettuce leaves
- 200 g Korean wheat flour noodles somyeon (soba noodles or spaghetti are great substitutes)
- 1/2 cup kimchi
- 1 cucumber julienned
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
To make the sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together.3 tablespoons gochuchang, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons apple juice, 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, Optional: gochugaru
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. For example, if you like it more sweet, you can add more honey, more sour then add more rice vinegar, more spicy then add some gochugaru (Korean chili powder).
- Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to mix it with the noodles.
To make the eggs
- Boil water and place the eggs gently in the water to avoid cracking.4 large eggs
- Turn the stove down to medium heat. Use a chopstick to swirl the eggs and water in a circular motion for 2 minutes.
- For large eggs, cook for 7 minutes. For smaller eggs, cook for approximately 6 min 30 seconds.
- Remove eggs from the pot and put them in a bowl of cold water.
- Peel one egg and cut it in half to check if it’s the desired runniness.
- If you want it less runny, put it back in the pot and boil. If its very close to the desired runniness, I would put it in for another 30 sec or so. Eggs can go from runniness to hard boiled very quickly.
- Peel the rest of the eggs. Set aside to slice in half before serving.
To make the noodles and vegetables
- Boil the noodles according to package directions as the cooking time of different brands vary.200 g Korean wheat flour noodles
- Use a colander and run the noodles under very cold water and rub them with your hands to remove excess starch.
- Drain well and then put the noodles and kimchi in a bowl. Add 3/4 of the sauce and mix together. Taste and add more sauce if you would like a stronger taste.
- Top with vegetables and egg. Mix and serve immediately. Enjoy!1 cup loosely packed lettuce leaves, 1/2 cup kimchi, 1 cucumber, 1 avocado
