Ganjang Bibim Guksu with Sejak is a Korean cold noodle dish where somyeon noodles are tossed in a savory-sweet soy sauce dressing and topped with stir-fried marinated ground beef, vegetables, and steeped green tea leaves. The steeped Sejak tea leaves eaten as a topping add an unexpected herbaceous note to this traditional mixed noodle dish.
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Make Sejak tea according to steeping instructions. Strain the tea leaves and set aside. You can enjoy the tea infusion before cooking or alongside this noodle dish.
Marinate ground beef for 15-20 minutes in a mixture of 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2/3 tablespoon sugar, 2/3 tablespoon water, 1/2 tablespoon matsul or white wine, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir fry in a frying pan or wok, then cool down.
Boil water with 1 teaspoon of salt in a pot over high heat. When boiling, add somyeon noodles. Add cold water periodically to prevent boiling over.
When the noodles are cooked about 90%, add carrot and zucchini to the pot and cook together with the noodles. (Optional: instead of cooking vegetables in boiling water, you can stir fry them with a little oil.)
When noodles and vegetables are cooked, drain and rinse with cold running water to cool down.
Mix together all ingredients for the noodle sauce: 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2-3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2/3 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
In a large bowl, mix noodles, vegetable and beef toppings, and steeped Sejak tea leaves together with the noodle sauce. Alternatively, mix only noodles and sauce, then place toppings on top.
Serve on a plate or in a bowl.
Refrigerate leftover noodles in an airtight container up to 2 days; reheat gently in cold water or eat chilled. Store the sauce and marinated beef separately and combine just before serving to prevent sogginess.
wok or frying pan (for stir-frying beef) · pot for boiling noodles · large mixing bowl
Yes. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, vinegar, sesame seeds, and sesame oil up to 2 hours ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature; stir before using.
You can substitute with other Korean green teas like Woojeon or regular gyeongja green tea. Brew and cool according to package instructions, then use the steeped leaves as a topping.
Yes. The recipe notes you can stir-fry carrot and zucchini with a little oil instead of boiling them with the noodles, which gives a firmer texture and slightly different flavor.
Add cold water periodically during the 15–20 minute cook time, as the recipe instructs. This keeps foam from rising above the pot edge.
Cook the somyeon until almost tender but still slightly firm to the bite. Add vegetables at this point so they finish cooking together without becoming mushy.
