Janchi Guksu. A comforting bowl of chewy noodles swimming in a hot broth with a soft boiled egg and spicy kimchi sauce. These warm Korean noodles are quick and easy to make with simple ingredients!
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What is Janchi Guksu?
Janchi Guksu features thin chewy wheat noodles with a spicy aromatic kimchi sauce with soft boiled eggs in a warm broth.
Janchi guksu means "banquet or feast noodles" in Korean. It is a delicious, comforting, spicy noodle soup dish served as a main dish in Korean cuisine.
This is a popular Korean noodle dish served at many Korean restaurants and perfect for a cold winter day to warm up.
It's so delicious as the chewy noodles pair so well with the gochujang and kimchi sauce in that warm clean broth.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Thin Korean Wheat Noodles: aka Somyeon. These noodles extra very chewy once boiled and is sold at many Korean grocery stores in the dried noodle section.
- Sesame seeds: grounded
- Eggs: you can choose to soft boil or hard boil the eggs.
Sauce
- Green onions
- Well-fermented Kimchi: You can check this by looking at the cabbage and if it's reddish and tender, it's been fermented well.
- Gochujang: a Korean red chili paste made of red chili flakes, fermented soybean paste, glutinous rice and salt. It a thick red sweet and spicy paste that comes in a red tub sold at many Korean grocery stores in the sauce aisle. It comes in varying levels of spice from mild to hot.
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with honey
- Sesame oil
Broth
- Anchovy stock or dashi stock
- Dried Kelp: aka kombu
- Onion
- Green onions
- Salt
Note: Your Korean grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Do not over boil the noodles. Taste test them if needed. The dish is best known for its chewy noodles.
- Rinse and rub the noodles in running cold water to remove excess starch. This makes them even chewier.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoon white vinegar to the water before boiling the eggs. This helps make the peeling process easier.
- Set a timer when boiling your eggs!
- Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Boil the noodles last to maintain that chewy texture.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make janchi guksu:
Boil and Strain Broth
In a large pot, add stock, dried kelp, onion, and green onion. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes and reduce to a simmer on medium heat. Season with salt to taste.
Strain out the onions and kelp with a slotted spoon, reserving the broth. Set aside and keep warm.
Make Sauce & Boil Eggs
In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
In a small pot, soft boil your eggs for 7-8 minutes or 10 minutes for hard boiled eggs. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoon white vinegar to the water before boiling the eggs. This helps make the peeling process easier.
Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Crack, peel and slice in half.
Prepare Noodles & Assemble
Lastly, boil your somyeon noodles for 2-3 minutes. Then strain under cold running water rubbing the noodles together to rinse off the excess starch and strain again.
Divide noodles between serving bowls. Top off with the sauce and egg. Then pour your hot broth around the noodles. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 2 days with each component stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot. Keep in mind the noodles will get soggy over time.
- Freezer-friendly? I don't recommend freezing these noodles as they will become soggy after reheating.
Pairing Suggestions
Janchi Guksu serves well with other Korean side dishes like:
FAQ
Components of janchi guksu can be prepared in advance such as the broth, sauce and eggs but it's recommended to boil the noodles closer to serving time so they don't lose their chewiness.
That means they were either overcooked or not strained and rinsed under cold running water to remove the excess starch.
Other Recipes You May Like
📖 Recipe
Easy Janchi Guksu (Korean Warm Noodles)
Ingredients
- 10 oz somyeon noodles thin wheat flour noodles
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds ground
- 2 large eggs
Sauce:
- 4 green onion chopped
- ½ cup kimchi well-fermented
- 2 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 teaspoon sugar or substitute with honey
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
Broth
- 14 cups anchovy stock or dashi stock
- 6 pieces dried kelp
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 green onion chopped
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, add stock, dried kelp, onion, and green onion. Bring to a boil for 20 minutes and reduce to a simmer on medium heat. Season with salt to taste.
- Strain out the onions and kelp with a slotted spoon, reserving the broth. Set aside and keep warm.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a small pot, soft boil your eggs for 7-8 minutes or 10 minutes for hard boiled eggs. Optional: Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoon white vinegar to the water before boiling the eggs. This helps make the peeling process easier. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Crack, peel and slice in half.
- Lastly, boil your somyeon noodles for 2-3 minutes. Then strain under cold water to rinsing off the starch by rubbing the noodles together and strain again.
- Divide noodles between serving bowls. Top off with the sauce and egg. Then pour your hot broth around the noodles. Enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
You did such a fabulous job making this recipe easy! I specifically loved your step by step instructions that included photos for each step. 💕💕
christieathome
Thank you Heidi! Happy to share the step by step pictures.
Rosemary
Mmm you had me at chewy noodles. I always under cook my ramen because I love to keep the chewiness there
christieathome
Yes undercooking that ramen is so key! Just 2 minutes total is all it takes!
Mavis Kalambi
So awesome
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Mavis! So happy you enjoyed it!
Alex
Exactly the kind of flavours I have been craving lately! I am so excited to make this again and again!
christieathome
Thanks so much Alex!!! It's really so good!