Janchi Guksu (Banquet Noodles in Broth)
Anchovy noodle soup topped with stir-fried aged sour kimchi, fried bean curd, and a savory sauce.
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 janchi guksu pairs hot anchovy broth with stir-fried aged sour kimchi and blanched fried bean curd toppings. Season it to taste with spicy soy sauce seasoning for a light, comforting winter lunch.
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Thin wheat noodles (somyeon)200 g
- Aged sour kimchi1/2 cup
- Fried bean curd1 cup (frozen)
- Carrot1/4
- Large green onion (daepa)a little
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)1
- Seasoned dried seaweed sheets (gim) or egg garnish (jidan)optional
- Anchovy broth5 cups (or more)
Seasoning sauce
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1 tbsp
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))2 tbsp
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)1 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tsp
- Green plum syrup (maesil-cheong) (or 1 tsp sugar)1 tbsp
- Minced green onion and minced chili pepper
- Toasted sesame oil1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- Instead of fried bean curd, about 1 sheet of rectangular fish cake also works nicely.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Here are 2 servings of thin wheat noodles (somyeon), aged sour kimchi, fried bean curd, carrot, large green onion, and chili pepper.
Instead of fried bean curd, about 1 sheet of rectangular fish cake also works nicely.
Slice the ingredients
Finely chop the aged sour kimchi for the topping and julienne the carrot.
Thinly slice half of the prepared large green onion.
Finely mince the green onion and chili pepper that go into the seasoning sauce. (Once minced, you need about 2 tbsp of green onion and 1 tbsp of chili pepper.)
Stir-fry the ingredients
Heat a little oil and stir-fry the julienned carrot until cooked through.
In the same pan, stir-fry the kimchi until tender. If it is very sour, you can add a little sugar while stir-frying.
If you prepared fish cake, lightly stir-fry that in the pan as well.
Blanch the fried bean curd
Since frozen fried bean curd is deep-fried in oil, blanching it in rolling boiling water for about 30 seconds helps remove excess grease.
Do not rinse it; simply transfer it to a strainer and press firmly to squeeze out the water.
Make the seasoning sauce and anchovy broth
For the janchi guksu sauce, combine all the listed ingredients (1 tbsp gochugaru, 2 tbsp brewed soy sauce, 1 tbsp soup soy sauce, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp green plum syrup, minced green onion, minced chili pepper, 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, and 1 tbsp ground toasted sesame seeds).
For the anchovy broth, dissolve 2 broth tablets in about 5 cups of water, or simmer about 20 soup anchovies and two 10 cm square pieces of dried kelp for over 10 minutes.
Boil the somyeon
Add the somyeon to rolling boiling water and boil for about 4 minutes. Rinse immediately in cold water to make them chewy, then drain.
Assemble and serve
If you rinse the boiled somyeon quickly in hot water before pouring over the anchovy broth, it stays piping hot the whole time you eat.
I always find that tteokguk or janchi guksu tastes best finished with ground toasted sesame seeds and seaweed flakes.
Though made with simple ingredients, the harmony of broth, toppings, and seasoning sauce makes this janchi guksu truly outstanding.
Stir in the seasoning sauce and slurp down a bowl of janchi guksu.
Ppunwife's tips
- Since frozen fried bean curd is deep-fried in oil, blanching it in rolling boiling water for about 30 seconds helps remove excess grease.
- If the kimchi is very sour, you can add a little sugar while stir-frying.
- If you rinse the boiled somyeon quickly in hot water before pouring over the anchovy broth, it stays piping hot the whole time you eat.
FAQ
Is there a substitute for fried bean curd?
If you do not have frozen fried bean curd, lightly stir-frying about 1 sheet of rectangular fish cake works wonderfully as a topping.
How do I prepare the anchovy broth?
You can dissolve 2 broth tablets in 5 cups of water, or simmer about 20 soup anchovies and 2 pieces of dried kelp for over 10 minutes.
How can I keep the noodles hot until the end?
Give the cold-rinsed somyeon a quick dip in hot water to warm them through before adding the broth, and they will stay hot much longer.
How should I stir-fry kimchi that is overly sour?
If the kimchi is very sour, adding a little sugar while stir-frying softens the sharpness.
