Korean noodles
Korean noodles are noodles or noodle dishes in Korean cuisine, and are collectively referred to as guksu in native Korean or myeon in hanja character. The earliest noodles in Asia originate from China, and date back 4,000 years ago. In Korea, traditional noodle dishes are onmyeon, called guksu jangguk, naengmyeon, bibim guksu, kalguksu, kongguksu among others. In royal court, baekmyeon consisting of buckwheat noodles and pheasant broth, was regarded as the top quality noodle dish. Naengmyeon, with a cold soup mixed with dongchimi and beef brisk broth, was eaten in court during summer.
Noodles by ingredients
- Dangmyeon – made from sweet potato starch
- Memil guksu – buckwheat noodles similar to Japanese soba noodles
- Gogi-guksu – Noodle soup of Jeju Province made with sliced pork
- Olchaengi guksu – noodles made from dried corn flour which are eaten in mountainous places such as Gangwon Province
- Gamja guksu – noodles made from a mixture of potato starch, rice flour, and glutinous rice flour
- Gamjanongma guksu – noodles made from potato starch that have a very chewy texture. It is a local specialty of Hwanghae Province
- Milguksu – wheat flour noodles. While noodles were eaten in Korea from ancient times, productions of wheat was less than that of other crops, so wheat noodles did not become a daily food until 1945.
- Dotori guksu – noodles made from acorn flour
- Chilk guksu – noodles made from kudzu and buckwheat
- Ssuk kalguksu – noodles made from Artemisia princeps and wheat flour
- Hobak guksu – noodles made from pumpkin and wheat flour
- Kkolttu guksu – noodles made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour
- Cheonsachae – half-transparent noodles made from the jelly-like extract left after steaming kelp, without the addition of grain flour or starch. The taste is bland, so they are generally eaten as a light salad after seasoned or served as a garnish beneath saengseon hoe. Cheonsachae has a chewy texture and is low in calories.
Noodle dishes
[Banchan]
- Japchae – Sweet potato noodles stir-fried with thinly sliced beef and vegetables; it may be served either hot or cold.
Warm noodle soups
- Janchi guksu – wheat flour noodles in a light broth made with anchovy and optionally kelp or beef broth. It is served with a sauce made with sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions and a small amount of chili pepper powder. Thinly sliced jidan, or fried egg, gim, and zucchini are topped on the dish for garnish. The name is derived from the word janchi in Korean because the dish was specialty foods for birthdays, weddings or auspicious occasions because the long, continuous shape was thought to be associated with the bliss for longevity and long-lasting marriage.
- Kalguksu – knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with seafood-based broth and other ingredients
- Gomguksu – wheat flour noodles in a broth of gomguk or gomtang which is made from boiling beef bones or cartilage.
- Jjamppong – wheat flour noodles in a spicy broth including vegetables and seafood.
- Jjapaguri
Cool noodle dishes
- Bibim guksu – thin wheat flour noodles served with a spicy sauce made from gochujang and vinegar. Half a hard-boiled egg, thinly sliced cucumber, and sometimes chopped kimchi are added as garnishes.
- Makguksu – buckwheat noodle soup, especially popular in Gangwon Province and its capital city, Chuncheon
- Naengmyeon – thin buckwheat noodles either served in a cold soup or served with a gochujang-based sauce; the noodles and other vegetable ingredients are stirred together by the diner. It is originally a winter dish, and a local specialty of the Ibuk region.
- * Mul naengmyeon – literally "water cold noodles". It is served in a bowl of a tangy cold to lukewarm soup, not typically served as cold as its South Korean counterparts, made with beef broth or dongchimi. Vinegar or mustard sauce can be added to taste.
- * Bibim naengmyeon – literally "mixed cold noodles". It is served with no broth but mixed with the spicy, tangy sauce called chogochujang, made from gochujang, vinegar, and sugar.
- Jjolmyeon – similar to bibim naengmyeon but the noodles are more chewy. It is a representative dish of Incheon
- Milmyeon – A dish unique to Busan, derived from naengmyeon
- Kongguksu – wheat flour noodles in a bowl of cold soy milk broth
- Jatguksu – wheat flour or buckwheat noodles in a bowl of cold broth made from ground pine nuts and water. It is a local specialty of Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The recipe is quite similar to kongguksu, but the dish has cleaner and more savory taste.
- Dongchimi guksu – wheat or buckwheat noodles in a bowl of cold dongchimi.