Bibim Guksu (Spicy Mixed Noodles) in 4 Minutes
A mul-bibim style bibim guksu (spicy mixed noodles) served with aged sauce and cold seasoned broth poured lightly over the noodles.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This one-bowl noodle dish features thin wheat noodles tossed in a sweet and spicy aged sauce and finished with cold, seasoned broth poured lightly over top. Making the sauce in advance gives it a deeper umami flavor as the gochugaru and garlic meld together. Crisp vegetables like cucumber and lettuce make it perfect for reviving your summer appetite.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Cook time
- 4 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Thin wheat noodles (somyeon)2 servings, 200 g
- Cucumber1/2
- Lettuce4 leaves
- Boiled egg2
Spicy bibim sauce (3 to 4 servings)
- Gochujang (Korean red chili paste)4 tbsp
- Fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Vinegar3 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds
- When making bibim guksu, make the sauce first and let it age in the refrigerator for at least about a day to 3 days.
- Soybean sprouts or cabbage work well, and yeolmu kimchi is also perfect for bibim guksu; feel free to prepare plenty of your favorite vegetables.
- Thin wheat noodles are great, but naengmyeon noodles, buckwheat noodles, or chewy jjolmyeon noodles also work well.
- If you make the bibim sauce in large batches, it can be kept refrigerated for over a month.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
When making bibim guksu, make the sauce first and let it age.
Toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds can be added right when you mix and eat, so leave them out when making the sauce and mix everything else together.
As it ages, the raw smell of gochugaru and the pungent punch of garlic meld together, deepening the flavor and making the color much prettier.
Age it in the refrigerator for at least about a day to 3 days.
This amount of bibim guksu sauce is enough for 4 people.
For a nice crunchy texture, prepare cucumber and lettuce and thinly slice them into bite-sized pieces.
I also cut a boiled egg in half and set it aside.
Soybean sprouts or cabbage are great, and yeolmu kimchi is also perfect for bibim guksu.
Try preparing plenty of vegetables you like.
Boiling thin wheat noodles
Boil the thin wheat noodles
Boil the thin wheat noodles in rolling boiling water.
I boiled them according to the time printed on the package.
It usually says 3 to 4 minutes, and I boiled them for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
Making the bibim guksu
Make the bibim guksu
Rub the noodles under cold running water to wash away the starch until they are springy, then drain thoroughly.
For about 1 serving of thin wheat noodles, add 3 tbsp of the prepared sauce along with an appropriate amount of toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds, then toss to mix.
Adjust the amount of sauce to your taste; it is also delicious topped with vegetables and the boiled egg just like this.
Mix 1/2 cup of drinking water with 1 to 2 tbsp of the bibim sauce, season it to be mildly salted, keep it cold, and pour it over the mixed noodles when ready to eat.
Top the mixed noodles with cucumber, lettuce, and egg, then pour over the chilled seasoned broth to make mul-bibim guksu.
Ppunwife's tips
- To enjoy this often and at its best, making a large batch of bibim guksu sauce and letting it age yields a much deeper, richer umami flavor than using it right away.
- Toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds can be added when tossing to eat, so omit them when making the sauce and mix all other ingredients together.
FAQ
Is it okay to make the sauce ahead of time?
If you mix everything ahead of time except toasted sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds and let it age in the refrigerator for a day to about 3 days, the flavor deepens and the color turns prettier. When made in large batches and refrigerated, it can be kept and used for over a month.
How do you make the seasoned broth?
Dissolve 1 to 2 tbsp of the finished bibim sauce into 1/2 cup of water, season it so it tastes mild, keep it cold, and pour it over the tossed noodles.
Can I use noodles other than thin wheat noodles?
Instead of thin wheat noodles, jjolmyeon, buckwheat noodles, or naengmyeon noodles also work wonderfully.
