Spicy Kimchi Cold Noodles

Name: Spicy Kimchi Cold Noodles (Yeolmu-Guksu)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 serving somen noodles, cooked and rinsed; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste); 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tbsp sesame oil; salt, to taste; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 1 cup young radish kimchi (yeolmu-kimchi); 1/4 cup kimchi juice; 1.5 cups cold water; 4-5 ice cubes

Spicy Kimchi Cold Noodles (yeolmu-guksu) is a quick Korean dish featuring thin somen noodles bathed in a tangy, spicy broth made from gochujang, kimchi juice, and sesame oil. It's a refreshing, savory-sweet summer meal ready in under 10 minutes.

🌍Korean 🏷️Cold noodles 🏷️Korean noodles 🏷️Kimchi 🏷️Gochujang Somen

🏷️

🏷️Spicy

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logagmonTikTok

Total

10 min

Servings

1

Difficulty

Easy

Est. Cost

$23–$38

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From TikTok · by logagm

-0:00

logagmonTikTok

Ingredients

1 serving somen noodles, cooked and rinsed
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt, to taste
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 cup young radish kimchi (yeolmu-kimchi)
1/4 cup kimchi juice
1.5 cups cold water
4-5 ice cubes

12 Ingredients

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Instructions

1
In a large bowl, combine cooked and rinsed somen noodles with sugar, gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame oil.
2
Add a pinch of salt and grate fresh garlic directly into the bowl.
3
Add the young radish kimchi and its juice to the bowl.
4
In a separate cup, combine ice cubes and cold water to make ice water.
5
Pour the ice water into the noodle bowl.
6
Mix all ingredients thoroughly until the sauce is evenly distributed.
7
Serve immediately and enjoy.

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Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Rinse cooked noodles thoroughly under cold water and ice to stop cooking and remove starch—this keeps them firm and prevents clumping.
Taste the broth before tossing with noodles; adjust gochujang, soy sauce, and salt to your heat and salt preference.
Chill the broth in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving so the noodles stay cold longer.
Grate garlic fresh just before mixing the broth for sharper, cleaner flavor rather than pre-minced.

Substitutions

Gochujang → gochugaru (Korean chili flakes, 2 tbsp) + 1 tbsp soy sauce for a looser, less paste-like broth
Maple syrup → honey or sugar (start with 1 tbsp, adjust to taste)
Sesame oil → omit or reduce to 1.5 tsp if unavailable, though it adds essential nuttiness
Young radish kimchi → napa cabbage kimchi (1 cup chopped) or other fermented vegetable like pickled cucumber

Storage & make-ahead

Noodles are best eaten immediately after plating. Store leftover broth and kimchi separately in an airtight container for up to 3 days; keep noodles in a sealed bag and toss fresh with chilled broth just before eating.