An easy cold noodle salad that’s full of spicy, tangy, vibrant, exciting flavors — make Bibim Guksu or Korean Spicy Cold Noodles. A 15-minute recipe that’s a summertime staple! Quick cooking Somyeon noodles and a fast 5-minute pantry sauce makes it especially easy and delicious. Add veggies of your choice and a soft-boiled egg for the perfect, hot-weather meal!
What is Bibim Guksu or Korean Spicy Cold Noodles?
Bibim Guksu is an easy and healthy Korean cold noodle dish featuring a bright and tangy spicy sauce, thin wheat noodles, and the addictively acidic bite of kimchi. Translated as “mixed noodles,” it’s part noodle dish and part salad. You can add as much finely shredded vegetables as you like to make it especially fresh, crunchy, and light!
Bibim Noodles require minimal cooking, meaning they are a favorite in hot, humid weather. The dish really comes together so quickly! With pantry ingredients. I often turn to Bibim Guksu when I don’t know what to cook or I’m tired and don’t want to cook a complicated meal. Satisfying, filling, and intensely flavored with just a few ingredients.
As a bonus, the flavors are so exciting and vibrant. I find myself craving Korean Spicy Cold Noodles often! Those thin, chewy noodles twisted into long strands! All that crunchy, fresh veg! And an easy spicy-sweet sauce that’s tangy, bright, and just spicy enough.
15-minutes from start to finish. Korean Bibim Noodles are my favorite pantry meal, and now they can be yours, too!
Ingredients:
- Somyeon/Somen. Korean thin wheat noodles that cook very quickly (3-4 minutes). The thin, long strands twist together in a satisfying, delicious heap. If you can’t find it, Makguksu or soba buckwheat noodles are also good.
- Bibim Sauce ingredients: Gochujang, Rice Vinegar, Sugar, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Garlic. All these pantry ingredients last a long time and make a perfectly balanced sauce that’s spicy, sweet, tangy, and fragrant.
- Kimchi + Kimchi Juice. Adds a tangy spice. Not the same without it!
- Toppings: Essential for a fresh, crunchy, healthy summer dish! The beauty of Korean Spicy Cold Noodles is the variety of customizable, DIY-style toppings you can add. Popular additions: hard or soft boiled egg (cut in half), thinly sliced cucumber, thinly sliced Korean Pear (regular apple or pear also work), shredded cabbage (red or green), shredded carrots, salad greens (romaine, bibb lettuce, mixed salad greens, micro greens, etc.), crushed Gim (roasted seaweed snack).
Instructions:
- Cook noodles. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Make sauce. Add noodles to the sauce and mix!
- Add kimchi and kimchi juice and mix some more.
- Divide Bibim Guksu evenly between two bowls. Top with sliced cucumbers, red cabbage, and hard/soft-boiled egg. Enjoy!
Watch How to Make it:
PRO Tips:
- Be careful not to overcook. The texture of the Somyeon noodles is everything!
- Rinse noodles with cold water. Stops the cooking process and ensures the noodles are perfectly chilled.
- Add more sesame oil. If the noodles are dry while mixing, add a drizzle or more of sesame oil. It will help the noodles to unstick.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Since kimchi is a fermented food item and changes flavor as it ages, the final taste of the dish may need adjustment before serving. Before plating, I taste and adjust seasonings accordingly: if it’s too salty, add a pinch of sugar. If it’s bland, add a splash more kimchi juice.
How to serve:
Korean Bibim Guksu can be enjoyed as an individual meal or a larger party dish to be shared.
- Individual meal: divide mixed cold noodles evenly between two bowls. Top with cucumber, egg, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Fast and easy! (This is the way I wrote the recipe below.)
- Party dish (to be shared): pile Korean Cold Mixed Noodles onto a large serving platter. Top with mixed salad greens, thinly sliced Asian pear, thinly sliced cucumber, and sesame seeds.
For a party, a good accompaniment would be LA Galbi or Spicy Pork Belly Bulgogi. Cold Noodles and BBQ Meat is a classic Korean pairing.
FAQ:
Can I substitute with another kind of noodle?
The best kind of noodles for easy Bibim Guksu is Somyeon/Somen noodles. Other thin noodle substitutes: Makguksu, another Korean thin wheat noodles. And Japanese Soba buckwheat noodles. In a pinch, angel hair pasta can also be used.
What’s the difference between Bibim Guksu vs Bibim Naengmyeon?
The main difference between Bibim Guksu and Bibim Naengmyeon is the type of noodle that’s used.
Bibim Guksu refers to thin, wheat noodles like Somyeon/Somen.
Bibim Naengmyeon refers to noodles made from buckwheat, arrowroot, and/or sweet potato starch. Long and darker in color, Naengmyeon noodles have more stretch and chew. The texture is not as soft but pleasantly chewy and a little bit tough.
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
For maximum textural enjoyment, eat Korean Spicy Cold Noodles immediately after plating. That way, the noodles keep their twisty, soft texture.
Making this dish ahead of time will result in bloated noodles that are too soft and not as texturally satisfying.
However, the sauce and toppings can be prepped ahead of time. They can keep 3-5 days in the fridge, tightly covered. Simply cook the noodles, right before serving. When it’s time to eat, mix everything together and serve.
Other easy Korean recipes:
- Buckwheat Soba Noodles with Perilla Oil
- Tuna Kimchi Fried Rice
- Seafood Soondubu Jjigae
- Korean Street Toast
Easy 15-minute Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
Equipment
- Colander
- Medium or Large cooking pot
- tongs
Ingredients
- 10 oz/ 285g Somyeon/Somen (Korean thin wheat noodles)
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Gochujang
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (white vinegar or apple vinegar also works)
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil (plus more for drizzling)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup kimchi + kimchi juice (ripe kimchi that's good for table eating – do not use old kimchi!)
Additional Toppings: (optional)
- 1/2 cup julienned cucumber, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage, divided
- 2 soft or hard-boiled egg, halved (1 for each serving)
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook noodles. Bring a large pot of water to boil. When the water comes to a boil, add noodles. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions. (The noodles should be soft but not overcooked, about 3-4 minutes.) Drain and rinse with cold water until noodles are cold to the touch.
- Make sauce. While the cooled noodles continue to drain, make the sauce. In a large bowl, add sauce ingredients. Mix with a spoon until well combined and no clumps remain. Set aside. (The sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to 3-5 days beforehand.)
- Mix noodles and sauce. Add drained noodles to the sauce and mix well.
- Season with kimchi and kimchi juice. Add kimchi and juice and mix well. Drizzle with additional sesame oil if the noodles look dry.
- Serve and enjoy! Evenly divide between two bowls. Scrape all the remaining sauce + kimchi onto the noodles. Top with cucumber, red cabbage, egg, and sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve immediately, with more sesame oil for drizzling if needed.
Video
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook. The texture of the Somyeon noodles is everything!
- Rinse noodles with cold water. Stops the cooking process and ensures the noodles are perfectly chilled. This is a cold noodle dish, after all!
- Add more sesame oil. If the noodles are dry while mixing, add a drizzle or more of sesame oil. It will help the noodles to unstick.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Since kimchi is a fermented food item and changes flavor as it ages, the final taste of the dish may need adjustment before serving. Before plating, I taste and adjust seasonings accordingly: if it’s too salty, add a pinch of sugar. If it’s bland, add a splash more kimchi juice.
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What brand of soy sauce did you use?
I use Yamasa. It’s a Japanese brand. Don’t use the low sodium kind!