Korean Knife-cut Noodle Soup
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 11
About this dish
Kalguksu is a Korean noodle soup made with hand-cut wheat noodles simmered in anchovy-kelp broth.
Read more
The noodles are rolled flat and sliced with a knife, giving them a rough surface that absorbs broth and a satisfying chew distinct from machine-made pasta. Sliced potato, half-moon zucchini, and onion go into the pot, with the potato releasing starch that naturally thickens the broth as it cooks. Seasoning stays minimal - soup soy sauce, salt, minced garlic, and green onion added at the end - so the clean, savory depth of the stock comes through clearly. The dish is traditionally associated with rainy days in Korea, and adding clams turns it into a popular seafood variation.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Put 1000 ml water, 15 gutted dried anchovies, and 1 piece of kelp in a pot.
Heat over medium heat, then remove the kelp just before the water reaches a full boil to keep the broth clear.
- 2Control
After removing the kelp, simmer only the anchovies for 12 to 15 minutes to build a savory base.
Skim off foam as it appears, then remove the anchovies so the broth stays clean and light.
- 3Finish
Slice 1 potato thinly, cut 1/2 zucchini into half-moons, and julienne 1/2 onion.
Mince 3 garlic cloves and slice 1 green onion so the finishing aromatics can go in quickly at the end.
- 4Control
Stir 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the broth, then add the potato and onion.
Boil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the potato edges look slightly translucent but not broken.
- 5Control
Shake off and add 300 g kalguksu noodles, separating them with chopsticks.
Cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring the bottom occasionally.
- 6Finish
When the noodles float and the broth looks lightly thickened, add the zucchini and boil 2 more minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and green onion, check the salt level, and serve immediately while the noodles are springy.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Rough-surfaced, hand-cut wheat noodles absorb the anchovy-kelp stock in this kalguksu soup.
- Finish cue
- When the noodles float and the broth looks lightly thickened, add the zucchini and boil 2 more minutes.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 11 ingredients
Category median
35min, 9 ingredients
Based on 233 recipes
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