Soy Sauce Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수)
A fragrant and savory soy sauce bibim guksu (mixed noodles) recipe that is easy and simple to make.
📝 Editor's Notes
Ganjang Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수) is a refreshing and light noodle dish perfect for hot weather.
The fragrant perilla leaves (깻잎), subtly spicy cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추), and savory perilla oil (들기름) and sesame seeds combine to create an enticing flavor that stimulates the appetite.
The Korean zucchini (애호박), lightly salted and stir-fried, adds a delightful crunchy texture, making each bite enjoyable.
The cooking process is not complicated, and ingredients are easy to find, making this a beginner-friendly recipe with a 'low' difficulty level.
It's also an excellent choice for a weekend lunch, late-night snack, or camping meal.
🛒 Ingredient Tips
Here are some tips for choosing key ingredients that will make or break this recipe.
First, look for Korean zucchini (애호박) that is shiny, firm, not too large, and has a consistent thickness.
It's in season during the summer, offering a sweeter taste and abundant moisture.
For perilla leaves (깻잎), choose ones with vibrant color and no wilting; note that a deeper purple on the underside indicates a stronger aroma.
Finally, freshness is crucial for perilla oil (들기름).
Choosing 100% Korean perilla oil with a recent extraction date will result in a much more savory and flavorful bibim guksu.
🔄 Substitution Guide
Here are some substitution tips if you don't have certain ingredients at home or prefer not to use them.
For Korean zucchini (애호박), you can use cucumber for a crisper and more refreshing texture, but adjust the amount of salt when marinating due to its higher water content.
If perilla leaves (깻잎) are unavailable, finely julienned lettuce or chicory can add a fresh flavor.
To emphasize savoriness, try adding shredded dried seaweed (gim-garu).
If cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) are too spicy, you can use red chili peppers for color, or omit them entirely and add a small amount of gochugaru (고춧가루) for a mild spicy kick.
Oligosaccharide or sugar can be used instead of allulose (알룰로스) to achieve similar sweetness, but note that allulose has fewer calories.
🥘 Ingredients
👨🍳 Cooking Points
Remember these three important cooking tips for delicious Ganjang Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수)!
First, after salting the Korean zucchini (애호박), gently squeeze out excess water, and then stir-fry it quickly over high heat until it's 'tender-crisp.' The key is to stir-fry it briefly, within 1 minute, to prevent it from getting watery.
Second, when boiling somen noodles (소면), add cold water 3 times whenever it boils vigorously to achieve chewy and springy noodles.
After cooking, it's crucial to rinse them thoroughly in ice water to completely remove starch and then squeeze out all excess water.
Third, grinding sesame seeds directly in a mortar and pestle significantly enhances their savory flavor.
This small effort is the secret to elevating the dish's aroma.
👨🍳 Directions
Trim both ends of 1 Korean zucchini (애호박), then julienne it thinly using a mandoline or knife. Place in a bowl, add 1 pinch of flower salt (꽃소금), mix well, and let it marinate.
Slice 1 green onion (대파) diagonally, and roll up 7 perilla leaves (깻잎) tightly before finely julienning them. Set aside.
Thinly slice 2 cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) and remove the seeds. Set aside.
Place 2 tbsp of sesame seeds in a mortar and pestle and grind until fragrant.
Prepare the sauce. In a bowl, combine 4 tbsp of brewed soy sauce, 1 tbsp of minced garlic, 2 tbsp of mirin (맛술), 2 tbsp of Korean green plum extract (매실청), 1 tbsp of allulose (알룰로스), and the ground sesame seeds. Mix well. (The remaining 1 tbsp of minced garlic will be used for sautéing the zucchini.)
Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan. Add the green onion (대파) and the reserved 1 tbsp of minced garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Once aromatic, add the marinated Korean zucchini (애호박) and quickly stir-fry over high heat until it's slightly tender-crisp. (Korean zucchini can release water, so stir-fry quickly.)
Pour plenty of water into a pot and bring to a boil. Add 2 servings of somen noodles (소면) and cook, stirring occasionally. When the water boils over vigorously, add a splash of cold water. Repeat this process 3 times.
Once the noodles turn translucent, turn off the heat and thoroughly rinse them under cold water to remove any starch. Place the noodles in a colander, add a few pieces of ice, and gently rinse to cool them down. Squeeze out excess water completely.
Place the drained somen noodles (소면) in a bowl. Top with the sautéed Korean zucchini (애호박), sliced cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추), and julienned perilla leaves (깻잎).
Pour the prepared soy sauce dressing evenly over the noodles and drizzle with 2 tbsp of perilla oil (들기름).
If desired, add more perilla oil (들기름) and generously sprinkle the remaining ground sesame seeds. Toss everything together to finish.
💡 Tips
Since the Korean zucchini (애호박) is salted, do not season it separately. Stir-fry it briefly over high heat to prevent it from getting watery and to maintain a good texture.
Boil the somen noodles (소면) by adding cold water 3 times when it boils over, then rinse thoroughly in ice water and drain completely. This will make the noodles springy and chewy.
Adding perilla leaves (깻잎) and cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) enhances the ganjang bibim guksu with a fragrant and subtly spicy flavor.
You can use oligosaccharide or sugar instead of allulose (알룰로스).
📦 Storage & Reuse
Ganjang Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수) is best eaten immediately after preparation as the noodles can become soggy.
If you have leftovers, it's best to store the noodles, sauce, and toppings separately.
Cooked somen noodles (소면) should be thoroughly drained, placed in an airtight container, and refrigerated, consumed within 1 day.
The prepared soy sauce dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week, making it versatile for other mixed dishes.
Sautéed Korean zucchini (애호박) can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and can be used as a side dish or mixed with rice.
Leftover perilla leaves (깻잎) or cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) can be stored fresh for other recipes or frozen and added to stews.
🥢 Who This Is For
This Ganjang Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수) is perfect for a cool and light meal during the summer when your appetite might be low.
Even children who dislike vegetables can enjoy the Korean zucchini (애호박), and those sensitive to spice can adjust the amount of cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) to their liking.
It's a simple yet nutritionally balanced dish, allowing you to maintain a healthy diet even in a busy daily life.
Serving it with a refreshing cucumber cold soup (오이냉국), crispy kkakdugi (깍두기), or a savory potato pancake (감자전) will complete an even richer dining experience.
🔥 Nutrition Info
One serving of this Ganjang Bibim Guksu (간장 비빔국수) is estimated to be approximately 550-600 kcal.
The main ingredient, somen noodles (소면), is a primary source of carbohydrates, providing about 70-80g.
Protein intake from somen noodles (소면) and sesame seeds is around 10-15g.
Combining the fat from 1 tbsp of perilla oil (들기름) and sesame seeds, the dish contains about 20-25g of fat; perilla oil (들기름) is particularly beneficial due to its richness in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Korean zucchini (애호박), perilla leaves (깻잎), and cheongyang chili peppers (청양고추) provide various micronutrients like Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Sodium content can vary depending on the amount of soy sauce used, so it's advisable to adjust the soy sauce quantity if you are sensitive to sodium intake.
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