Recipes with thin wheat noodles (somyeon)

37 recipes. Page 2 of 2

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Kongguksu (Korean Cold Soy Milk Noodles)

Cooked white soybeans blended with sesame seeds make a thick, nutty soy milk that is chilled and poured over somen. Skimming off the loose skins while rinsing the beans keeps bitterness out of the broth, and one pass through a sieve removes the gritty bits for a much silkier soup. Seasoning splits between salt alone and salt with a little sugar, added a pinch at a time either way. The soup needs at least 1 hour in the fridge and is blended well ahead, since ice cubes in the bowl would only thin it. The noodles get a rub in cold water and a short dip in ice water to firm them up.

Prep 25min Cook 12min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Clear Noodle Soup (Anchovy Broth Somyeon)

Dried anchovies and kelp make a clear, light broth for thin somyeon noodles, served warm or chilled as a summer meal. Toasting the cleaned anchovies in a dry pan before simmering takes the fishy edge off and adds a faint nuttiness. Skimming the foam keeps the broth clear, and rubbing the cooked noodles under cold water until it runs clean keeps them springy and stops starch from clouding the bowl. Seaweed flakes, sesame, and green onion are all it needs on top.

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Prep 10min Cook 20min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Seasoned Veggie Mixed Noodles

Blanched spinach, soybean sprouts, and julienned carrot are tossed with thin somyeon in a soy, vinegar, and plum syrup dressing that is salty, tart, and faintly sweet, with no chili paste involved. The spinach and sprouts are blanched separately and squeezed hard, because leftover water thins the sauce and makes the noodles swell and clump as they sit. Dry-sauteing the carrot without oil for a minute brings out a sweetness raw carrot lacks. Dressing the noodles before adding the vegetables seasons every strand instead of letting the sauce cling only to the greens. The garlic is stirred until evenly dispersed so no single bite turns sharp, and half a tablespoon of gochugaru makes a spicy version.

Prep 20min Cook 8min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Onmyeon (Korean Warm Noodle Soup Recipe)

Beef brisket simmered for about twenty-five minutes gives this warm noodle soup a light, clear stock, strained of fat before it meets thin somyeon. Soup soy sauce is added gradually so the broth stays pale. The simmered brisket does double duty, torn along the grain and laid on top with thin egg ribbons and scallion. Since the noodles are rinsed cold, the broth comes back to a rolling boil before pouring so the bowl arrives hot.

Prep 15min Cook 30min 2 servings

Noodles Medium

Saba Somen (Simmered Mackerel with Somen)

Grilled mackerel is braised in a sweet soy broth, and that same liquid then seasons somen noodles served around the whole fish. The dish belongs to the Kohoku area of Shiga, where mackerel arrived easily over the Saba Kaido, the old road linking Wakasa and Kyoto. It ties to a May custom of sending grilled mackerel to a married daughter busy with rice planting, and to festive tables at Nagahama's Hikiyama festival.

Prep 15min Cook 30min 5 servings

Noodles Medium

Korean Black Soybean Noodle Cup

Black soybeans (seoritae) turn this chilled noodle soup a soft gray, and their nuttiness runs deeper than the ivory broth made from ordinary yellow soybeans, with a clean finish. The cooked beans are cooled completely before blending so their nutty aroma is not lost. Milk blended in with the cold water gives the broth a rounder, creamier feel, and salt is the only seasoning. Pressing the broth through a fine strainer removes bits of skin for a smooth, drinkable texture, and an hour in the fridge before serving deepens the flavor. Served in cups over thin somyeon with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and ice, it works as a single-portion take on kongguksu, the Korean summer noodle dish.

Prep 25min Cook 10min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Ssukgat Perilla Bibim Somyeon

The slightly bitter scent of crown daisy, ssukgat, cuts through the nutty weight of perilla seed powder and keeps this soy-dressed somyeon lively without any chili heat. Plum syrup and vinegar add a light sweet-sour lift, and cold cucumber strips crunch between the thin noodles. Holding back part of the sauce before tossing leaves room to adjust once you see how much water the noodles carry.

Prep 15min Cook 10min 2 servings

Noodles Hard

Kumamoto Tai Somen

A whole red sea bream braised in soy and sake sits in the middle of a large platter, ringed by coils of somen for five people to share. In Kumamoto it is a celebration platter, and pairing a fish with long noodles carried hopes for a lasting marriage and ties between two families. Mamihara in Yamato keeps the grand wedding form, with the noodles laid out like white waves, while Amakusa makes a practical version from the head and bones left after sashimi. The braising liquid combines light and dark soy sauce with akazake (red sake) and regular sake, so the fish comes out glossy and sweet-savory. The strained liquid is spooned over the noodles only at the table, keeping them from turning soft before serving.

Prep 25min Cook 30min 5 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Rice Cake Dumpling Noodle Soup

Adding thin wheat noodles to rice cake and dumpling soup makes a heartier bowl, and every spoonful pulls up something different: chewy rice cake, a dumpling, a tangle of soft noodles. The noodles are boiled separately so the milky bone broth stays clean.

Prep 10min Cook 30min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Yeolmu Bibim Guksu

Young radish kimchi, yeolmu, and some of its brine are mixed into a tangy gochujang dressing for cold somyeon, letting the kimchi flavor lead rather than plain chili sweetness. Only half the kimchi is tossed with the noodles, and the rest sits on top so the stems stay crisp. Noodles that are not drained well leave the sauce pooling like water at the bottom of the bowl.

Prep 15min Cook 8min 2 servings

Noodles Easy

Korean Young Radish Cold Noodles

The chilled broth comes from young radish kimchi brine, sharpened with vinegar and a touch of hot mustard that lingers after the sourness. Because the soup is meant to be drunk, temperature matters as much as seasoning, and even the toppings wait in the fridge. Thin somyeon absorbs the broth quickly, so bowls are filled right before they go to the table.

Prep 15min Cook 10min 2 servings

Noodles Medium

Korean Yuja Chicken Cold Somyeon

Chicken breast and radish simmer gently into a clear stock, and yuja (citron) syrup stirred in once it is cold lays a sweet, fragrant citrus note over the savory chicken. The pot stays below a rolling boil for 15 minutes so the broth comes out clear, and nothing oily goes into it. The same chicken then gets shredded for the topping, making one ingredient do double duty as broth and garnish. Because the stock has to cool completely and chill, it gets started well before the noodles. The yuja syrup needs to dissolve fully in the cold broth, or its sweetness collects in one spot. Freezing part of the broth into ice cubes keeps the bowl cold without watering it down.

Prep 30min Cook 20min 4 servings

Noodles Medium

Korean Spicy Noodles with Beef Pancake

Every bite mixes two temperatures: warm, savory slices of egg-battered beef on top of cold, sweet-sour gochujang noodles. If the thin beef is floured while still damp, the egg coating lifts and slides off in the pan.

Prep 20min Cook 15min 2 servings