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Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)

August 7, 2019 By Lisa Kitahara 1 Comment

korean spicy cold noodles in a brown bowl landscape

This Bibim Guksu, or Korean Spicy Cold Noodles recipe is light, refreshing and packed with flavour. Featuring chewy somyeon noodles, kimchi and fresh vegetables doused in a sweet and spicy gochujang based sauce. A easy and quick recipe, ready in just 15 minutes! Vegan + Gluten Free Option

korean spicy cold noodles in a brown bowl and napkin

My Korean food cravings hasn’t died yet! I always associate Korean cuisine to be warming and comforting, probably because of all the spicy sauces they use. However, recently tried a Cold Spicy Korean Noodle dish and had to recreate it! It was basically a Korean cold noodle salad with noodles, fresh vegetables and a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce. Many of the ones I’ve seen on menu’s are actually already vegetarian because there is no meat in it, but sometimes comes with an egg or includes hidden anchovies in the sauce or kimchi. To make this a vegan Korean noodle dish, I omitted the egg and made the sauce from scratch. I played around with different ratios of ingredients and loved the turn out of this particular one!

holding korean spicy cold noodles in a brown bowl

What is Bibim Guksu?

Bibim guksu is a cold noodle dish that is typically made with somyeon (also called somen) noodles which are thin wheat flour noodles. There isn’t really a hard set rule on toppings but usually includes some fresh vegetables and kimchi. The dish then gets mixed with a sweet and spicy bibim sauce that is soy sauce and gochujang based.

bibim gaksu ingredients

Ingredients to Make Korean Spicy Cold Noodles

For the sauce, you’ll need:

  • soy sauce, for saltiness
  • gochujang, for spice
  • rice vinegar, for tang
  • korean pear or fuji apple, for a fruity sweetness
  • garlic, for flavour
  • sesame oil, for aroma
  • sesame seeds, for a slight nuttiness

And to assemble the Bibim Guksu, you’ll need:

  • somyeon/somen noodles, or soba/buckwheat noodles for gluten free
  • Japanese cucumber
  • kimchi
  • lettuce
  • cabbage

Of course, feel free to play around with the toppings and include your favourite fresh crispy vegetables!

As a funny side note… I added in heaps more of sesame seeds to the sauce because I love the nuttiness it gives but play around with the ratio of sauce ingredients to find what you like.

sweet spicy bibim sauce with sesame seeds

How to Make Delicious Korean Spicy Cold Noodles

  1. First, prep the bibim sauce by mixing all the ingredients together.
  2. Then prep the vegetables by thinly slicing them. Place the sauce and toppings in the fridge to keep them chill.
  3. Cook the somen noodles following the directions on the package. Prepare a bowl of water with ice. Once the noodles are finished cooking, drain and place into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Then drain and rinse with cold water.
  4. Plate by adding the noodles in a shallow bowl, then adding on the toppings and the sauce.
  5. Mix the bowl until all the noodles are covered with the sauce, then enjoy!

This Vegan version of Korean Spicy Cold Noodle recipe takes less than 15 minutes to put together!

korean spicy cold noodles in a brown bowl close up

Can I make Bibim Guksu ahead of time?

The sauce can defiantly be made ahead of time. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air tight jar. You can make this meal ahead of time, but the noodles tend to get a little dry by the end of the day. If bringing it for lunch, store with a ice pack but don’t place it into the fridge. If you’re having left overs for dinner, just rinse the somen noodles through cold water, drain and then add the toppings and sauce.

As you can see, it’s SUPER easy to make Korean Spicy Noodles and although it has heat to it, it’s very refreshing and perfect for the summer!

bibim gaksu noodles close up

More Cold Noodle Dishes to Try!

  • Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad with Tofu
  • Vegan Hiyashi Chuka
  • Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken
  • Sesame Miso Noodle Salad
  • Vegan Bun Chay (Chilled Vietnamese noodles)
bibim gaksu noodles in a brown bowl

If you recreate this Bibim Guksu recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

bibim gaksu noodles in a brown bowl

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Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 15
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
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Description

This Bibim Guksu, or Korean Spicy Cold Noodles recipe is light, refreshing and packed with flavour. Featuring chewy somyeon noodles, kimchi and fresh vegetables doused in a sweet and spicy gochujang based sauce. A easy and quick recipe, ready in just 15 minutes! Vegan + Gluten Free Option


Scale

Ingredients

Bibim Sauce:

  • 1/4 Korean pear or Fuji apple (60g), grated
  • 3 Tbsp gochujang (58g)
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar (30g)
  • 2 tbsp sugar (22g)
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce (16g)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil (14g)
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (10g)

Noodles:

  • 160g Somen noodles, dry
  • 1 Japanese (or Persian) cucumber, julienned
  • 1/2 cup kimchi (80g)
  • 4 leaves lettuce thinly sliced (around 80g)
  • 3 asian cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (around 130g)

Instructions

  1. Mix all sauce ingredients and place in the fridge to chill.
  2. Prepare the vegetables by slicing them and keep in the fridge to cool.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook somen noodles according to the package. Drain and shock in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and rinse with cold water. 

  4. Place the noodles in the middle of a shallow bowl and add toppings. Then add on the sauce and enjoy!

Notes

  • Gluten Free: Use buckwheat or soba noodles made from 100% buckwheat flour
  • To store: The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air tight jar
  • Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: Korean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 565
  • Sugar: 32.7g
  • Sodium: 2605mg
  • Fat: 11.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.7g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 8.6g
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 101.7g
  • Fiber: 11.5g
  • Protein: 16g
  • Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: korean cold spicy noodles

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korean spicy cold noodles in a brown bowl

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Filed Under: All recipes, Entrees, Gluten-free Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lucy

    July 22, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    I’ve made this a couple times now and I really. love it! Very refreshing for a summer day.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Lisa. Welcome to Okonomi Kitchen! Here you'll find delicious vegan recipes that are healthy, simple & easy to make.
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