Dave’s Korean Sweet & Spicy Cold Noodles Content

Our Sweet & Spicy Noodles remind me of Bibim Naengmyeon or Bibim Guksu because these traditional Korean cold noodle dishes and our new noodles use gochujang as the base. This fermented Korean chili paste has got heat, sweetness, and savory umami notes all at once. Gochujang is central to my cuisine and the food at Momofuku. Like tomato paste, you can turn it into something else, and that’s what we’re doing in this nontraditional recipe.

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Boil some water. Once it’s boiling, drop an egg and cook for 6-8 minutes to your desired liking. Take out once cooked but keep your water on.

Start by prepping your toppings. Peel a cucumber and carrot. Normally, if I’m cooking carrots I don’t bother peeling them, but it makes a difference for this dish. Thinly slice that cucumber, carrot, and green onions into thin strips and set aside.

Create the base of what will end up being an almost broth like sauce by roughly chopping some garlic and ginger. Place into a blender. Open two packages of Momofuku Sweet & Spicy Noodles, grab the sauce packets, and pour those in the blender as well. If I was going the traditional route, I’d use gochujang, but gochujang is the base of these sauce packets so it works out. Add agave syrup, some dashes of Momofuku Toasted Sesame Oil and Momofuku Soy Sauce, some ice cubes, and a splash of apple juice. If you have some fresh pears, you can use that instead of apple juice. Lastly, add some of the oil from a Momofuku Chili Crunch jar and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Drop in your noodles and prep an ice bath. The packaging instructions say to cook for three and a half minutes, but I personally just like cooking them a little longer.

While the noodles are cooking, thinly slice a bit of red onion and if you have it, some perilla leaves. This is a strong flavor that’s tougher than shiso. I like it, but if you don’t have it, you’ll be fine. Just cook with whatever’s in arms reach.

Drop your cooked noodles directly into that ice bath to stop the cooking process, and strain out the water. Keep some of the ice cubes to put directly into the final dish. Pour your sauce in and mix until fully combined with the noodles.

Top with more Momofuku Chili Crunch, perilla leaves, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, red onions, and boiled egg. I like thinly slicing some nori right at the end and adding that plus sesame seeds for extra texture.

Finish off with a few extra dashes of Momofuku Toasted Sesame OIl. The end result is not traditional, but it is absolutely delicious.

For more information, you can read about Bibim Naengmyeon in The Korean Herald and Bibim Guksu in The New York Times.