Korean noodles

Korean noodles
Japchae, a Korean dish of stir-fried cellophane noodles
Korean name
Hangul	국수 or 면
Hanja	none for guksu, 麵
Revised Romanization	guksu or myeon

Korean noodles are noodles or noodle dishes in Korean cuisine and are collectively referred to as "guksu" in native Korean or "myeon" in hanja. Preparations and cooking with noodles are relatively simple, so the history is longer than that of bread, dating back around BCE. 6000 to BCE 5000 in Asia. While noodles were eaten in Korea from ancient times, productions of wheat was less than other crops, so noodles did not become a daily food until 1945. Buckwheat (memil guksu) and wheat noodles (milguksu) were specialty foods for birthdays, weddings or auspicious occasions because the long and continued shape were thought to be associated with the bliss for longevity and long-lasting marriage.

In Korean traditional noodle dishes are onmyeon or called guksu jangguk (noodles with a hot clear broth), naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), bibim guksu (cold noodle dish mixed with vegetables), kalguksu (knife-cut noodles), kongguksu (noodles with a cold soybean broth) and among others. In royal court, baekmyeon (literally "white noodles") consisting of buckwheat noodles and pheasant broth, was regarded as the top quality noodle dish. Naengmyeon with a cold soup mixed with dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) and beef brisk broth was eaten in court during summer.

Noodles by ingredients

Memil guksu

• Dangmyeon (당면; cellophane noodles) - made from sweet potato starch
• Memil guksu (메밀국수) - buckwheat noodles similar to Japanese soba noodles
• Olchaengi guksu (올챙이국수) - noodles made from dried corn flour which are eaten in mountainous places such as Gangwon Province
• Gamja guksu (감자국수) - noodles made from a mixture of potato starch, rice flour, and glutinous rice flour
• Gamjanongma guksu (감자농마국수) - noodles made from potato starch that have a very chewy texture. It is a local specialty of Hwanghae Province
• Somyeon - very thin wheat flour noodles; similar to Japanese sōmen
• Dotori guksu - noodles made from acorn flour
• Chilk guksu (칡국수) - noodles made from kudzu and buckwheat
• Ssuk kalguksu (쑥칼국수) - noodles made from Japanese mugwort and wheat flour
• Hobak guksu (호박국수) - noodles made from pumpkin and wheat flour
• Kkolttu guksu (꼴뚜국수) - noodles made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour
• Cheonsachae - half-transparent noodles^photo made from the jelly-like extract left after steaming kombu, without the addition of grain flour or starch. The taste is bland, so they are generally eaten as a light salad after seasoned or served as a garnish beneath saengseon hoe (sliced raw fish). Cheonsachae has a chewy texture and is low in calories.

Noodle dishes

Jjolmyeon

Banchan

• Japchae) - dangmyeon (cellophane noodles) stir-fried with thinly sliced beef and vegetables; it may be served either hot or cold.

Noodles originating from China

• Jajangmyeon - thick wheat flour noodles topped with fried black soybean paste and other ingredients; of Chinese origin
• Jjamppong (짬뽕) - spicy noodle soup of Chinese origin

Hot noodle soups

Gomguksu

• Janchi guksu - wheat flour noodles in a light broth made with anchovy and optionally dashima or beef broth. It is served with a sauce made with sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions and a small amount of chili pepper powder. Thinly sliced jidan (지단), or fried egg, gim, and zucchini are topped on the dish for garnish. The name is derived from the word janchi (잔치, feast or banquet) in Korean because the noodle dish has been eaten for special occasions such as wedding feasts, birthday parties, or hwangab (sixtieth birthday celebration) in Korea.
• Kalguksu - knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with seafood-based broth and other ingredients
• Gomguksu (곰국수) - wheat flour noodles in a broth of gomguk or gomtang which is made from boiling beef bones or cartilage.

Cold noodle dishes

Milmyeon

• Bibim guksu - thin wheat flour noodles served with a spicy sauce made from gochujang and vinegar. Half a hard-boiled egg, thinly sliced cucumber, and sometimes chopped kimchi are added as garnishes.
• Makguksu - buckwheat noodle soup, especially popular in Gangwon-do province and its capital city, Chuncheon
• Naengmyeon - thin buckwheat noodles either served in a cold soup or served with a gochujang-based sauce; the noodles and other vegetable ingredients are stirred together by the diner. It is originally a winter dish, and a local specialty of the Ibuk region (이북지방, nowadays the area of North Korea).
  • Mul naengmyeon - literally "water cold noodles." It is served in a bowl of a tangy cold soup made with beef broth or dongchimi. Vinegar and/or mustard sauce can be added to taste.
  • Bibim naengmyeon - literally "mixed cold noodles." It is served with no broth but mixed with the spicy, tangy sauce called chogochujang, made from gochujang, vinegar, and sugar.
• Jjolmyeon (쫄면) - similar to bibim naengmyeon but the noodles are more chewy
• Milmyeon (밀면) - A dish unique to Busan, derived from naengmyeon
• Kong guksu - wheat flour noodles in a bowl of cold soy milk broth
• Jatguksu (잣국수) - wheat flour or buckwheat noodles in a bowl of cold broth made from ground pine nuts and water. It is a local specialty of Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The recipe is quite similar to kongguksu, but the dish has cleaner and more savory taste.
• Dongchimi guksu (동치미국수) - wheat or buckwheat noodles in a bowl of cold dongchimi.

Instant noodles

• Ramyeon - similar to Japanese ramen but generally seasoned in Korean style
  • Shin ramyun - literally "hot and spicy noodles," this is a very popular brand of ramyeon in South Korea.

See also

• Instant noodles
• Chinese noodles
• Japanese noodles
• Korean cuisine
• Vietnamese cuisine

External links

• Info about Korea noodles (Korean)