I’m always changing my answer to this question, so don’t hold it against me if I emphatically write something completely different a year from now, but I think if I had to choose one cuisine to eat exclusively for the rest of my life, it would be Korean food. I love the garlickly spiciness of many Korean dishes, the perfection of the grilled meats, the massive number of condiments that come alongside, from the tiny silver fish to the pickled daikon, and of course kimchi, which I enjoy eating straight from the container (triple sealed in the fridge, of course).
This super simple noodle dish ticks many of those boxes, and it also has another thing going for it this time of year- it’s chilled. No oven, barely any stove (you’ll need to boil a pot of water, and that’s it) and it’s refreshing to eat. And of course, it packs a ton of flavor and looks absolutely beautiful to boot, with all the bright condiments arranged in a bowl. You can also get creative on what you include, if something doesn’t strike your fancy. It’s bibimbap, but with noodles.
About 6 months ago, an H Mart, the Korean grocery store with a well-deserved cult following, opened a location up on 110th and Amsterdam, and I paid it a visit earlier this summer (I combined it with a run up the Hudson River, because it gives me great satisfaction to multi-task exercise and errands). If you have not been to an H Mart and have access to one, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for. Go when you’re hungry, because they have an amazing prepared food section (I picked up some vegan dumplings- frankly something I’d never choose to eat- and they were outrageously delicious), tons of fresh noodles and dumpling wrappers, every kind of condiment…I could go on. Wandering the aisles of H Mart or Patel Brothers or Kalustyans or Hong Kong Supermarket is, for me, such a treat and something I love to do on a Saturday afternoon. I just find it so inspiring to see ingredients I’ve read about in a recipe and get ideas for something I’d like to make in the future.
Speaking of #inspo, I know I’ve been a little delinquent on the blog and Instagram front lately. As ever, I struggle with balance (of the work-life, hobby-life, social life-quiet time varieties) and it got a little out of wack following my vacation. Maybe I simply ate too much homemade pasta and prawns the size of my face and burrata that brought tears to my eyes while gallivanting around Italy? Or maybe it was returning to work and being unable to accept the new/old reality? I don’t know, but I actually let a chicken go bad in my refrigerator last week because I was too underwhelmed to cook it. I KNOW. The good news is, I spent the past weekend grilling Thai prawns in banana leaves, churning oddly flavored ice creams and hunting for weird and wonderful ingredients all over downtown Manhattan. I’m back!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kimchi, cut into small bite-size pieces
- 5 tablespoons kimchi juice
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
- 1 1/2 -2 tablespoons gochugaru red pepper powder, to taste
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 6 oz. wheat noodles
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 hard-boiled egg, halved
- 4 oz. cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into thin half-moons
- 2 leaves lettuce, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 sheets crispy roasted seaweed, shredded
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate. If you are using store-bought kimchi, you may not be able to squeeze out 5 tablespoons of kimchi juice. In which case, make up the amount with a little extra finely chopped kimchi mixed with water.
- Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and immediately plunge into cold water, repeating until the noodles are completely cold. Drain again fully and toss with vegetable oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Cover and refrigerate until very well chilled.
- Divide the chilled noodles between 2 bowls, top with a sauce, hard-boiled egg, cucumber and lettuce and scatter over the seaweed and sesame seeds. Remember to mix everything together very well before eating.
Notes
From Our Korean Kitchen
