37 recipes. Page 1 of 2
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The freshwater fish disappears entirely, its flesh dissolved into a spicy gochujang and doenjang broth thick with both rice and thin somyeon noodles. Perilla seed powder and perilla leaves are strong enough that the muddy taste river fish can have barely registers. Fine bones can survive even several strainings, so eat slowly.
With dried anchovies, kelp and somyeon noodles on hand, this bowl comes together even when the fridge is nearly empty. There is no chili and no fermented paste; the clear anchovy broth simmers for 15 minutes and is seasoned with soup soy sauce and salt. The thin wheat noodles cook in a separate pot and are rinsed, so their starch does not cloud the broth.
With grated fresh apple handling part of the sweetness and apple cider vinegar bringing the tang, the gochujang sauce tastes lighter and fresher. It is not fruit-sweetened alone, though: oligosaccharide syrup goes in too. Thirty minutes in the fridge takes the raw edge off the gochujang and lets the apple's acidity settle into it. Half a boiled egg on top turns the thin somyeon noodles into an easy light meal.
Gochujang heat, the sweetness of maesil plum syrup, and a sharp hit of vinegar land together in each mouthful of these cold somyeon noodles. A thorough cold-water rinse strips off surface starch, so the thin wheat noodles turn bouncy and the sauce coats them evenly instead of clumping. Torn lettuce and cucumber strips bring crunch, and the little moisture they release loosens the thick sauce just enough.
A clear, gently beefy broth carries thin somyeon, slices of brisket, and a handful of minari, the Korean water parsley whose sharp, grassy smell rises first from the bowl. Seasoning stays minimal, just soup soy sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper, and with the floating fat skimmed off, the brisket adds savoriness without making the soup greasy.
Chogye guksu gets its broth from the same pot that poaches the chicken: the stock is chilled, then sharpened with vinegar and Korean hot mustard until it tastes tart, icy, and slightly nose-tingling. The mustard waits until the stock is fully cold, because warm liquid drives off its volatile aroma. The chicken breast is shredded only after it cools completely, since tearing it hot lets the juices run out and leaves dry strands. Thin matchsticks of cucumber and radish add crunch, and cut to the same width they twirl up evenly with the noodles. It is a summer dish for days when appetite runs low.
Instead of a soup, ground perilla seed, perilla oil, and soup soy sauce form a thick, nutty sauce that clings to fine somyeon noodles. Chwinamul, a Korean wild aster green, brings a distinctive mountain-herb scent that the toasted perilla balances. The greens are blanched only briefly and shocked in cold water, so they stay deep green with some bite. Spring chwinamul has the strongest aroma.
Poaching chicken breast directly in the anchovy stock gives the clear broth of janchi guksu, Korea's party noodle soup, an extra savory layer. A little sesame oil tossed through the shredded chicken makes the lean breast meat taste moist, while separate yellow and white egg-crepe strips, zucchini, and carrot add color. The recipe scales up easily, making it practical for feeding a crowd.
Perilla oil smells nuttier and more grassy than sesame oil, and in this cold somyeon dish it is the main flavor, with only soy sauce, a little sugar, and garlic underneath. Crumbled roasted seaweed goes on just before eating so it stays crisp, and toasted sesame seeds add a small crunch. With almost no cooking beyond boiling the noodles, it makes a quick late-night meal.
Cooked straight in the doenjang broth instead of a separate pot, thin somyeon take on the paste's flavor and lend the soup a little body. The bowl needs to reach the table the moment the heat goes off, before the fine noodles drink up the liquid. Potato, onion, and zucchini supply all the sweetness, making it an easy weeknight soup with a short ingredient list.
Surf clams simmered with radish make a clear, briny stock, and rehydrated miyeok seaweed unfurls in it to add its own quiet ocean flavor. Dongjuk look much like Manila clams but give a deeper broth, so no separate stock is needed. Seasoning stays light, just soup soy sauce and garlic, letting the shellfish lead. It suits a slow morning or any time a light, warm bowl sounds right.
Slippery acorn jelly and fine wheat somyeon sit together in cold, tangy dongchimi broth, the liquid from radish water kimchi. Every mouthful mixes two kinds of softness. At least 1 hour in the fridge sharpens the broth's sweet-tangy balance. The jelly holds thin strips best when it is cut straight from the fridge, and the boiled noodles turn springy only after a hands-on rub under cold water strips off their surface starch. Kimchi brings a spicy edge and cucumber a cool crunch, while sesame oil stays in the background, just enough to stop the noodles sticking without masking the broth's clean acidity. It suits hot summer days when appetite runs low.
Freshwater fish simmered into a broth gives this noodle soup its savory base, and doenjang plus gochugaru keep any fishy edge in check while adding heat. Straining the stock two or three times through a fine sieve is what separates a clean, drinkable broth from a murky one.
Crumbled gamtae, a fine seaweed closer to green laver than to roasted gim sheets, releases a sharper, rawer ocean aroma the moment it lands on the noodles. A minimal dressing of toasted sesame oil and soy sauce takes a thin, even coat on well-drained, cold-rinsed somyeon, carrying the seaweed rather than competing with it.
Jeju-style pork noodle soup usually means a dense, milky bone stock; this version simmers 500 g of pork bones for at least an hour and aims for a lighter, relatively clear broth instead. Soaking and blanching the bones first, plus a spoonful of doenjang in the pot, keeps porky off-notes down.
Chewy canned whelk, slippery somyeon and crisp cucumber and onion all meet in one spicy-sour gochujang dressing, a classic drinking snack in Korea. A spoonful of the canning liquid stirred into the sauce deepens its savory base, while a quick rinse of the whelk itself tames the salt. Ice-cold water right after boiling keeps the noodles firm and bouncy once the dressing goes on.
Thin somyeon in milky beef bone broth, the kind simmered for hours until opaque, picks up the broth's heavy, gelatinous body with every slurp. Store-bought gomtang broth works fine and saves a day of boiling bones. Seasoning stays at salt and black pepper so nothing interrupts the long-simmered flavor, and sliced green onion cuts through the richness. Squeezing the rinsed noodles dry keeps the broth from thinning, and already-cooked noodles only take a brief dip in the hot broth to warm through, because a long soak turns them soft. A few thin slices of boiled beef add lean, meaty chew against the rich soup, and bowls warmed in advance keep it hot after serving.
Young edible luffa softens into translucent, slightly silky pieces in barley miso soup and gives it a light body before the soup is poured hot over somen. Once the barley miso is in, the pot stays at small bubbles to keep it from turning harsh.
Tiny freshwater corbicula clams, a specialty of Hadong along the Seomjin River in South Gyeongsang, give this noodle soup a broth that tastes strongly of shellfish yet stays light and clear. Restaurants along the river serve the clams in many forms and treat them as the defining local taste. Seasoning is kept to soup soy sauce and a little salt so the clams lead, while one cheongyang chili adds quiet background heat. Skipping the straining step leaves grit and an earthy taste that clouds that clean flavor. The somyeon is boiled separately and scrubbed hard in cold water, since leftover starch would cloud the strained broth all over again.
A big platter piled with somyeon, shredded cabbage, cucumber, carrot and torn lettuce arrives tossed in a spicy-tangy gochujang dressing. Each vegetable brings its own kind of crunch against the soft noodles, and the dressing of gochujang, vinegar, sugar and soy hits sweet, sour and hot in quick succession. Sesame oil and toasted seeds round off the sharpness without dulling it.
The name comes from the custom of serving noodles to guests at weddings, birthdays and first-birthday parties. Anchovy and kelp make the broth, and seasoning it with soup soy sauce alone keeps it transparent rather than cloudy. The toppings sit in separate colors: zucchini, carrot, yellow and white egg strips, and crumbled seaweed. Kelp comes out of the pot first, since left too long it turns the broth bitter.
Hot gochujang-marinated pork goes straight onto cold rinsed somen (thin wheat noodles), putting warm meat and chilled noodles in the same bite. The pork shoulder sits in gochujang and chili flakes with soy sauce and sugar, which lay a savory sweetness under the heat. A short, fierce stir-fry keeps water from pooling in the pan and lets the edges caramelize while the inside stays moist. Cabbage and onion cook in the same pan, adding sweetness under the chili heat. A rinse in ice water makes the boiled noodles chewier. The two are combined only right before serving, since thin noodles mixed too early soak up moisture and swell.
Simmering kimchi dumplings in anchovy-kelp stock lets the kimchi and pork filling season the broth with little help from anything else. Once the dumplings float they are cooked; boiling longer splits the wrappers. A thin swirl of beaten egg softens the soup, and the somen sits in the bowl with broth poured over rather than being cooked in the pot. It makes a quick, warming bowl for a cold day.
Juice from well-fermented kimchi, stretched with water and balanced with sugar and vinegar, becomes a chilled sweet-sour broth for thin somen. Since nearly all the flavor comes from the kimchi, young kimchi leaves the broth flat and short on tang. Chopped kimchi and cucumber strips on top add crunch to a light summer bowl.