Name: Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 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); 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)

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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.

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

First, prep the bibim sauce by mixing all the ingredients together.
Then prep the vegetables by thinly slicing them. Place the sauce and toppings in the fridge to keep them chill.
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.
Plate by adding the noodles in a shallow bowl, then adding on the toppings and the sauce.
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!

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)

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!

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