Name: Bibim-Myeon (Spicy Korean Buckwheat Noodles)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 3 tbsp gochujang; 3 tbsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar works!); 3 tbsp rice syrup (honey works too!); 1 tbsp garlic (minced); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp gochugaru; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp sesame seeds; egg (boiled); cucumber (sliced); sesame seeds; watermelon (sliced); Buckwheat Noodles

Do you know bibim-myeon?

More specifically, bibim naengmyeon? This sweet and spicy cold noodle dish is an all time favorite of mine. I especially love eating it in the summer time! The best part? You can recreate it at home! It’s very easy to prepare and takes only minutes!

My mom used to tell me that eating spicy foods in the summer would actually help me cool down. The reason being that spicy foods make you sweat which would eventually cool you down as the moisture evaporates.

I’m not sure if it’s folklore but I think it works!

Regardless, I don’t need a reason to enjoy Bibim Naengmyeon. It’s good for any time!

Korean Buckwheat Noodles (naengmyeon):

Buckhead noodles are thin and chewy with a great bite. They’re perfect for cold noodles because they don’t get mushy when coated in sauce for long periods of time. They retain their texture quite well.

You’ll often find two versions of Naengmyeon:

Mul-Naengmyeon:

In Mul-Naengmyeon, the noodles are served in an icy clear broth that’s usually made with beef broth and dongchimi which is radish water kimchi. When I first had this dish, I was perplexed by the icy broth but my goodness, it is so refreshing! I love adding lots of vinegar and hot mustard to mine but some people like to enjoy their mul-naengmyeon plain which is good too. I just love the zing you get from the addition of vinegar and hot mustard 🙂

Bibim-Naengmyeon:

Today, we are making Bibim-Naengmyeon which is not served with a cold broth like Mul-Naengmyeon. However, sometimes the cold broth is served on the side. Bibim-Naengmyeon uses a spicy gochujang based sauce that is sweet, spicy and tangy! It’s so good if you like spicy noodles. I don’t know of any other spicy dishes that are as refreshing as Bibim-Naengmyeon. If you’re not to keen on spicy foods but want to try Bibim-Naengmyeon, you can simply adjust the amount of sauce that you use.

How to make Bibim-Myeon:

Mix together gochujang, vinegar, rice syrup, garlic, soy sauce, gochugaru, sesame oil and sesame seeds. I’ve also used this sauce to marinate chicken before and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s a really good base sauce for proteins.

2. Prepare your noodles according to package. Make sure you rinse them really well in cold water to remove the slimey starch. After you rinse them, let them dry for a few minutes before topping them with your Bibim sauce.