Ganjang Bibim Guksu (Soy Sauce Bibim Guksu). Delicious cold chewy noodles seasoned with a savory, sweet, tangy sauce with a soft boiled egg and fresh crunchy cucumber. Ready in 10 minutes!
Jump to:
What is Ganjang Bibim Guksu?
In Korean translation, "Ganjang" means "soy sauce" and "Bibim Guksu" means "mixed noodles". Ganjang Bibim Guksu is a popular Korean food that originates from South Korea. The dish features cold thin noodles (or "somyeon") seasoned in a savory, tangy sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and garlic! Then served with a soft-boiled egg and fresh vegetables.
I love to enjoy this delicious dish during the hot weather as it's cooling. These noodles are a quick and simple meal to make when I have little energy to cook. It's also very similar to Kimchi Bibim Guksu, which contains a spicy sauce. Kimchi Bibim Guksu are spicy noodles as they contain tangy gochujang, which is a Korean red pepper paste and kimchi.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
- Somyeon noodles: these are Korean thin wheat noodles. You can find these at the Korean grocer. They're made of wheat flour, salt and water. You only want to boil these dry noodles in a large pot of water for 3 minutes in a rolling boil or follow package instructions. Then you want to rinse them of the excess starch to make them bouncy and chewy! They're a very common ingredient in Korean cuisine. If you can't find these noodles, you may substitute for soba noodles.
- Egg
- Fresh Cucumber
Noodle Sauce:
- Regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce): aka all purpose soy sauce. The label will simply say "soy sauce". Also, this is different from dark soy sauce, which is darker in color and thicker in viscosity. You may also substitute with light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce.
- Sesame seeds
- Sesame oil: Toasted kind also works best and helps emulsify the sauce ingredients and offer a wonderful taste and smell.
- White granulated sugar: to sweeten our sauce and balance the salty flavors from the soy sauce. You can also substitute with any sweetener of your choice.
- Garlic
- Rice vinegar: to add some acid to the sauce balancing out all the flavors!
How to make Bibim Guksu noodles
- In a medium or large pot filled with water, bring it to a boil. Add noodles and loosen them. Boil for 2-3 minutes. Strain noodles immediately and run under cold water to rinse out the excess starch. Strain out any excess water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a smaller pot filled with enough water, boil your eggs on medium-high heat. Boil without a lid for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs. For medium soft eggs, boil for 7-8 minutes. For hard boiled eggs, boil for 9-10 minutes. After they have boiled, transfer to an ice bath to cool completely. Crack and peel them Slice them into half with a sharp paring knife. Set aside.
- Slice cucumbers into thin match sticks and set aside. Note: There's no need to peel the cucumber.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil. sugar, minced garlic and rice vinegar. Mix in the cold noodles with tongs or clean hands.
- Finally, divide between your serving bowls. Place cucumber slices over top along with sliced eggs. Enjoy!
Storage
This dish is best consumed immediately or same day. However, if you have leftover noodles, store them in an airtight container and they can last up to 2-3 days in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Do not overcook the noodles. If you want that delicious chewy texture, only boil them for 3 minutes and strain immediately.
- Run noodles under very cold water for extra chewy texture for this ganjang guksu recipe and rub the noodles with your hands to remove the excess starch.
- Ensure all the water is strained from the noodles.
- Use a whisk to mix your seasoning ingredients. It will allow for an even distribution of ingredients.
- Mix the noodles with the sauce using tongs or clean hands. Traditionally, they are mixed with the latter.
- Immediately after boiling your eggs, place them in an ice water bath. This makes it easier to crack and peel the,.
- When you are ready to crack and peel the egg, crack from the base of the egg (the less pointy end) and peel from the base. This will make it easier for you to have a perfectly peeled egg.
FAQ
What is the difference between bibim guksu and bibimbap?
Bibim Guksu means "mixed noodles" and "bibimbap" means "mixed rice" in Korean. Bibim guksu features thin chewy noodles mixed with a spicy kimchi sauce with an egg on top; however bibimbap is made of rice with veggies, egg, meat with a spicy gochujang sauce.
What does guksu mean in Korean?
Guksu means noodles in Korean.
How can I make this spicy?
For a spicy version of these noodles, try my Kimchi Bibim Guksu recipe instead.
Other Korean noodle recipes you may like!
- Janchi Guksu (Warm Korean Noodles)
- Korean Kimchi Bibim Guksu
- Jajangmyeon
- Rabboki Korean Sweet Spicy Ramen
- Japchae
- Kimchi Cheese Ramen
📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Ganjang Bibim Guksu
Ingredients
- 7.05 oz somyeon noodles (Korean thin wheat noodles)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cucumber unpeeled & washed
Bibim Guksu sauce:
- 3 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- In a medium to large pot filled with water, bring it to a boil over high heat. Add noodles and loosen them. Boil for 3 minutes, no longer. Strain noodles immediately and run under cold water to rinse out the excess starch. Strain out any excess water. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a smaller pot filled with enough water, boil your eggs on medium-high heat. Boil without a lid for 6 minutes for soft-boiled eggs. (For medium soft eggs, boil for 7-8 minutes. For hard boiled eggs, boil for 9-10 minutes.) Transfer boiled eggs to an ice bath to cool completely. Crack and peel them Slice them into half with a sharp paring knife. Set aside.
- Slice cucumbers into thin match sticks and set aside. Note: There's no need to peel the cucumber.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sugar, minced garlic and rice vinegar. Then mix in the cold noodles with tongs or clean hands.
- Divide noodles between serving bowls. Place cucumber slices over top along with sliced eggs. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage
This dish is best consumed immediately or same day. However, if you have leftover noodles, store them in an airtight container and they can last up to 2-3 days in the fridge.Suggested Equipment & Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Caleb - Never Ending Journeys
These noodles look so delicious, especially with that tasty sauce! Such a perfect meal idea!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
This looks like such a tasty noodle dish!! I want to dig right in! Perfect to keep in the fridge for an easy lunch!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
This dish is the perfect remedy for a busy week. It's quick, easy and packed with so much irresistible flavor!