Chewy cold buckwheat noodles tossed in a simple, savory sauce full of umami flavor. These easy 10-minute Korean perilla oil noodles are so delicious, refreshing and made of only 5 pantry ingredients! Great as a main or side dish.
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Korean Perilla Oil Noodles feature cold soba noodles lightly tossed in perilla oil, soy sauce, sugar, Korean roasted seaweed flakes and topped with optional garnishes.
In Korean, this dish is called "Deulgireum Makguksu", which translates into "perilla oil buckwheat noodles". Perilla oil (pictured below) is extracted from perilla seeds and it tastes nutty, earthy and slightly minty. It's available at Korean grocery stores, like H-Mart, or at select Asian markets.
In Korea, it's very common to eat cold noodles during the hot summer months to cool down. Other cold noodle dishes in Korean cuisine include spicy Kimchi Bibim Guksu, Ganjang Bibim Guksu, Mul naengmyeon and Bibim Naengmyeon.
Korean perilla oil noodles are my go-to recipe as they're super tasty, addictive and refreshing to eat to beat the heat! I also love pairing it with Korean banchans or meat dishes to make it a complete meal (I share pairing suggestions below).
Why you'll love this recipe:
- ready in only 10 minutes, so it's great for busy weeknight meals!
- made with 5 simple Korean pantry ingredients, if you don't count the optional garnishes.
- minimal cooking involved.
- great for families and kids.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements:
- Soba Noodles (a.k.a. Buckwheat Noodles): use the dry kind available at many Asian grocers and even select Western grocery stores. Or substitute with fresh buckwheat noodles, somen noodles or instant ramen noodles as a last resort.
- Perilla Oil: a nutty, earthy tasting oil available at Korean grocers, select Asian grocers or sometimes online. Or substitute with toasted sesame oil as a last resort.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce, tamari sauce, or coconut aminos.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute cane sugar, honey or oligo syrup.
- Korean Roasted Seaweed Flakes: these are pre-seasoned making them very flavorful and available at the Korean grocer. Or substitute with 1-2 roasted seaweed snack packets crushed by hand and season the noodles with more soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar to taste.
Optional Garnishes
- Green Onions
- Sesame Seeds
- Cheongyang Chili Pepper
- More Korean Roasted Seaweed Flakes
Expert Tips
- Avoid skipping the Korean roasted seaweed flakes as they offer a lot of flavor as they’re pre-seasoned with salt, sesame oil and sugar.
- Don’t overcook the noodles and follow package instructions when cooking. Buckwheat noodles typically require 2-3 minutes of boiling time on low-medium heat.
- Rinse cooked buckwheat noodles with cold running water until cold or soak in an ice bath to make them chewy.
- Strain the cooked noodles very well by shaking them to remove any excess water, which will dilute the sauce.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make Korean perilla oil noodles:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine regular soy sauce, perilla oil, and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves to create the noodle sauce. Set aside.
- Bring a medium-sized pot filled halfway with water to boil on high heat. Add in the buckwheat noodles and cook according to package directions. (If your noodles don't come with directions, reduce to low-medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until chewy).
- Strain and rinse the cooked noodles with cold running water until cold. Then drain and shake out as much excess water in the noodles as possible.
- Transfer the noodles into the bowl with the noodle sauce. Add roasted seaweed flakes and toss well. Then optionally garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, more roasted seaweed flakes, or chili pepper. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftover perilla oil noodles will last up to 1-2 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The noodles will taste slightly less chewy over time, so it's best to enjoy these noodles immediately for best taste. They do not require reheating as they're meant to be enjoyed cold.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend storing these cooked noodles in the freezer as they will become very soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
Perilla oil noodles serve well with Korean side dishes or with Korean meat dishes as listed below:
- kimchi
- boiled eggs
- radish kimchi
- Korean cucumber salad or thinly sliced cucumbers
- beansprout salad
- zucchini fritters
- Korean spinach
- gyeran mari
- fish cake stir fry
- Korean Braised Tofu
- Korean Sausage Stir-Fry
- Bulgogi Beef
- Dak Dalbi (Korean spicy chicken)
FAQ
This can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. However, the noodles will lose their chewiness over time.
Buckwheat noodles are not usually gluten-free as they often contain wheat flour. However, buckwheat noodles made from 100% buckwheat flour are gluten-free. It's always best to check the package label to check if it's gluten-free or not.
Perilla oil noodles are generally served cold, but you may enjoy them hot. To serve hot, skip rinsing them in cold water. Then quickly toss the cooked noodles in the noodle sauce and roasted seaweed flakes.
More like this
- Japanese Sesame Soba Noodles - these are different from my perilla oil noodles as they're seasoned with sesame oil and rice vinegar.
- Chinese-style Sesame Noodles
- Chili Garlic Oil Noodles
- Spicy Peanut Noodles
📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Korean Perilla Oil Noodles
Ingredients
- 4.90 oz soba noodles (aka buckwheat noodles) dry kind
- 4 teaspoon perilla oil or sub with sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce / low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- ¼ cup Korean roasted seaweed flakes do not skip, or see substitute in Notes below
Optional Garnishes
- ¼ cup Korean roasted seaweed flakes do not skip, or see substitute in Notes below
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
- 1 Cheongyang chili pepper chopped
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine regular soy sauce, perilla oil, and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves to create the noodle sauce. Set aside.
- Bring a medium-sized pot filled halfway with water to boil on high heat. Add in the buckwheat noodles and cook according to package directions. (If your noodles don't come with directions, reduce to low-medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until chewy).
- Strain and rinse the cooked noodles with cold running water until cold. Then drain and shake out as much excess water in the noodles as possible.
- Transfer the noodles into the bowl with the noodle sauce. Add roasted seaweed flakes and toss well.
- Then optionally garnish with sesame seeds, green onions, more roasted seaweed flakes, or chili pepper. Enjoy!
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