Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles (Jaengban Guksu)

Serves
serves 2
Time
30 minutes

MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

Published on December 23, 2015

A medley of thinly sliced vegetables dressed with a spicy gochujang sauce makes a simple Korean salad. Get the recipe for Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles (Jaengban Guksu)

Don't be fooled by the vegetable-heavy spread; this dish is sure to fill you up. A medley of thinly sliced vegetables is piled up with a mound of cold buckwheat noodles. They're dressed with a slurpable spicy and savory gochujang sauce that makes for a Korean take on a chef's salad.

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Ingredients

¹⁄₂ Asian pear, peeled and cored, plus 1/2 cup thinly sliced
1 apple, peeled and cored, preferably Gala or Fuji
¹⁄₂ cup gochujang
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 tbsp. gochugaru, finely ground
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp. mirin
1 tsp. black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz. dry buckwheat noodles
¹⁄₂ cup shredded red cabbage
¹⁄₂ cup thinly sliced cucumbers
¹⁄₂ cup thinly sliced carrots
¹⁄₂ cup thinly sliced red onions
¹⁄₂ cup thinly sliced mugwort leaves
¹⁄₂ cup perilla leaves, thinly sliced
¹⁄₄ cup mung bean sprouts
2 soft-boiled eggs

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Instructions

Step 1

In a blender, puree the 1⁄2 Asian pear and apple until smooth then scrape into a bowl and stir in the gochujang, corn syrup, gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, mirin, pepper, and garlic.

Step 2

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain, transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain and let dry on paper towels.

Step 3

Divide the cold noodles between two plates then top with the cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, onions, both leaves, and bean sprouts. Drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons of the sauce then top with a halved soft-boiled egg. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

In a blender, puree the 1⁄2 Asian pear and apple until smooth then scrape into a bowl and stir in the gochujang, corn syrup, gochugaru, sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, mirin, pepper, and garlic.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain, transfer to a bowl of ice water, then drain and let dry on paper towels.
Divide the cold noodles between two plates then top with the cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, onions, both leaves, and bean sprouts. Drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons of the sauce then top with a halved soft-boiled egg. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.