Bibim guksu or spicy mixed noodles is a popular dish, especially in the summer, as it needs neither many ingredients nor does it take a long time to prepare. The dish boosts the appetite, especially when people feel tired due to the hot weather.
The dish has another name, goldongmyeon (골동면, 骨董麵), which means "straightening the bones." In the "Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Kingdom" (Dongguk Sesigi, 동국세시기, 東國歲時記) (1849) there is a description of this dish. The book says, “A dish with buckwheat noodles, radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi and pork is called naengmyeon [cold noodles] whereas gongdongmyeon is a dish with potato starch noodles, pears, chestnuts, beef and pork.” According to this text, it can be assumed that both dishes must have been popular in the Joseon era.
Bibim guksu was not only popular among commoners, but also at court. There's a description of the dish in "The Royal Protocols to Mark the 60th Birthday of Queen Hyegyeonggung Hong" (Wonhaeng-eulmyo-jeongrieuigwe, 원행을묘정리의궤, 園幸乙卯整理儀軌). It says that bibim guksu was simply “goldongmyeon with soy sauce seasoning.” Queen Hyegyeonggung Hong (혜경궁 홍씨, 惠慶宮 洪氏) (1735-1815) was the mother of the 22nd Joseon monarch, King Jeongjo (정조, 正祖) (1752-1800).
Many people regard bibim guksu as a summer dish, but it's actually one of the seasonal dishes, along with red bean porridge, for Dongji, one of the 24 solar terms of the year that also marks the winter solstice. In the past, many people enjoyed naengmyeon and bibim guksu in the cold winters. People tried to "cure" the cold by eating cold food, just as they do the opposite in the summer by eating hot ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang, 삼계탕) during the three hottest days of summer, the Boknal days.
** Ingredients
440 grams plain noodles
2 kilograms water (10 cups)
200 grams water to cool the noodles (1 cup)
13 grams sesame oil (1 tablespoon)
200 grams cucumbers
2 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon)
130 grams beef (rump, preferably)
290 grams shitake mushrooms (4 mushrooms)
Marinade No. 1:
18 grams soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
4 grams sugar (1 teaspoon)
4.5 grams chopped green onions (1 teaspoon)
2.8 grams minced garlic (1/2 teaspoon)
1 gram sesame salt (1/2 teaspoon)
0.1 grams ground pepper
4 grams sesame oil (1 teaspoon)
1 egg
13 grams canola oil (1 tablespoon)
Marinade No. 2:
85.5 grams pepper paste (4.5 tablespoons)
12 grams sesame salt (2 tablespoons)
13 grams sesame oil (1 tablespoons)
** Preparation
1. Clean the cucumber by rubbing it with salt and then halve it. Cut the cucumber into diagonal pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 0.2 centimeters wide. Add the salt to the cucumber pieces for 5 minutes to remove the water from the cucumber.
2. Clean the blood off the beef and chop it into pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 0.2 centimeters wide. Marinate the meat with two thirds of marinade No. 1.
3. Soak the shitake mushrooms for 1 hour. Trim the mushrooms by cutting off their heads and removing any water. Cut the mushrooms into similarly-sized pieces to the beef strips. Marinate the mushrooms with the remaining marinade No. 1.
4. Fry the egg yolks and egg whites separately, making each into a round omelet or pancake. Slice each into strips that are 0.2 centimeters thick and 5 centimeters long.
5. Prepare marinade No. 2.
** Recipe
1. Boil the water in a pot for 9 minutes over high. Add the noodles for 1 minute to cook. Add 1 cup of water to cool the water and wait until it boils again for 30 seconds. Remove the noodles from the water and wash them in water. Drain the noodles in a strainer to remove the water. Mix the noodles with the sesame oil.
2. Heat a frying pan with canola oil. Fry the cucumber pieces over high for 10 seconds.
3. Fry the beef and shitake mushroom pieces over high for 1 minute each.
4. Serve the noodles with the beef, mushrooms, cucumber and marinade No. 2. Add the fried egg yolk and egg white slices as a garnish on top.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
In cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF)
Recipe from “The Beauty of Korean Food: 100 Best-Loved Recipes”
arete@korea.kr
The dish has another name, goldongmyeon (골동면, 骨董麵), which means "straightening the bones." In the "Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Kingdom" (Dongguk Sesigi, 동국세시기, 東國歲時記) (1849) there is a description of this dish. The book says, “A dish with buckwheat noodles, radish kimchi, cabbage kimchi and pork is called naengmyeon [cold noodles] whereas gongdongmyeon is a dish with potato starch noodles, pears, chestnuts, beef and pork.” According to this text, it can be assumed that both dishes must have been popular in the Joseon era.
Bibim guksu was not only popular among commoners, but also at court. There's a description of the dish in "The Royal Protocols to Mark the 60th Birthday of Queen Hyegyeonggung Hong" (Wonhaeng-eulmyo-jeongrieuigwe, 원행을묘정리의궤, 園幸乙卯整理儀軌). It says that bibim guksu was simply “goldongmyeon with soy sauce seasoning.” Queen Hyegyeonggung Hong (혜경궁 홍씨, 惠慶宮 洪氏) (1735-1815) was the mother of the 22nd Joseon monarch, King Jeongjo (정조, 正祖) (1752-1800).
Many people regard bibim guksu as a summer dish, but it's actually one of the seasonal dishes, along with red bean porridge, for Dongji, one of the 24 solar terms of the year that also marks the winter solstice. In the past, many people enjoyed naengmyeon and bibim guksu in the cold winters. People tried to "cure" the cold by eating cold food, just as they do the opposite in the summer by eating hot ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang, 삼계탕) during the three hottest days of summer, the Boknal days.
Bibim guksu, or spicy mixed noodles, stimulates the appetite, especially in the summer, thanks to its unique taste that harmonizes beef, pork, mushrooms, vegetables and pepper paste. In the past, people enjoyed the dish not only in the summer but also in the winter.
** Ingredients
440 grams plain noodles
2 kilograms water (10 cups)
200 grams water to cool the noodles (1 cup)
13 grams sesame oil (1 tablespoon)
200 grams cucumbers
2 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon)
130 grams beef (rump, preferably)
290 grams shitake mushrooms (4 mushrooms)
Marinade No. 1:
18 grams soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
4 grams sugar (1 teaspoon)
4.5 grams chopped green onions (1 teaspoon)
2.8 grams minced garlic (1/2 teaspoon)
1 gram sesame salt (1/2 teaspoon)
0.1 grams ground pepper
4 grams sesame oil (1 teaspoon)
1 egg
13 grams canola oil (1 tablespoon)
Marinade No. 2:
85.5 grams pepper paste (4.5 tablespoons)
12 grams sesame salt (2 tablespoons)
13 grams sesame oil (1 tablespoons)
** Preparation
1. Clean the cucumber by rubbing it with salt and then halve it. Cut the cucumber into diagonal pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 0.2 centimeters wide. Add the salt to the cucumber pieces for 5 minutes to remove the water from the cucumber.
2. Clean the blood off the beef and chop it into pieces that are 5 centimeters long and 0.2 centimeters wide. Marinate the meat with two thirds of marinade No. 1.
3. Soak the shitake mushrooms for 1 hour. Trim the mushrooms by cutting off their heads and removing any water. Cut the mushrooms into similarly-sized pieces to the beef strips. Marinate the mushrooms with the remaining marinade No. 1.
4. Fry the egg yolks and egg whites separately, making each into a round omelet or pancake. Slice each into strips that are 0.2 centimeters thick and 5 centimeters long.
5. Prepare marinade No. 2.
Cucumbers, beef and shitake mushrooms are needed to prepare bibim guksu. All the ingredients need to be cut into small pieces and marinated.
** Recipe
1. Boil the water in a pot for 9 minutes over high. Add the noodles for 1 minute to cook. Add 1 cup of water to cool the water and wait until it boils again for 30 seconds. Remove the noodles from the water and wash them in water. Drain the noodles in a strainer to remove the water. Mix the noodles with the sesame oil.
2. Heat a frying pan with canola oil. Fry the cucumber pieces over high for 10 seconds.
3. Fry the beef and shitake mushroom pieces over high for 1 minute each.
4. Serve the noodles with the beef, mushrooms, cucumber and marinade No. 2. Add the fried egg yolk and egg white slices as a garnish on top.
Bibim guksu is served with cooked noodles, beef, mushrooms, cucumber slices and fried egg yolks and fried egg whites, as well as with marinade No. 2.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
In cooperation with the Institute of Traditional Korean Food (ITKF)
Recipe from “The Beauty of Korean Food: 100 Best-Loved Recipes”
arete@korea.kr
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