Korean Food: 10 Noodles or Guksu Dishes To Try

South Korea has a long list of distinct varieties of noodles or guksu. From the Korean dramas, movies, and variety shows, we can see how Koreans enjoy eating noodles, especially ‘ramyeon’. Do you also like eating ramyeon or noodles? When I came to Korea, I became addicted to these. Below is a list of Korean noodles or guksu that you must try when you are in South Korea.

10 Korean Noodles or Guksu You Must Try

1. Naengmyeon (냉면)

Naengmyeon is a cold noodle dish made with hand-made thin buckwheat noodles usually served in a large stainless-steel bowl with iced broth. It is also topped with sliced raw vegetables, and boiled egg or beef. In addition, there are two main types of naengmyeon; mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon. 

Mul Naengmyeon (물 냉면)

It is also served in a large bowl with tangy cold soup made from dongchimi or beef broth.

Bibim Naengmyeon (비빔 냉면)

On the other hand, bibim naengmyeon is served with a spicy dressing made from red chili paste, vinegar, and sugar. Another difference between this from mul naengmyeon is, bibim naengmyeon is served with no broth.

2. Jjajangmyeon (짜장면)

Jjajangmyeon is a Chinese- style Korean noodle dish that is remarkably popular in South Korea. It is made with hand-made or machine-pulled thick noodles, and then topped with jajang sauce or thick sauce from the sweet wheat paste. In addition, the sauce includes meat, beef, or seafood. It is also served with toppings such as sliced cucumber, scallions, and boiled or fried eggs. 

3. Japchae (잡채)

This dish is very popular in South Korea. It is a stir-fried sweet potato noodle (glass noodles) with thinly sliced vegetables such as spinach, carrots, onions, scallions, mushrooms, eggs, and beef/pork. It is also seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, making it a slightly sweet and savory dish. 

4. Kalguksu (칼국수)

Kalguksu is a knife-cut flat wheat flour noodles commonly served in a seafood-based broth and sliced zucchini, potatoes, and scallions. Moreover, it is considered as seasonal food, traditionally eaten in summer. Actually, kalguksu has many varieties such as Jemul kalguksu, Ssuk kalguksu, Mung bean kalguksu, Perilla seed kalguksu, Small octopus kalguksu, Snail kalguksu, and more. 

5. Makguksu (막국수)

Makguksu is a buckwheat noodle dish commonly served in a chilled broth. Also, sometimes various vegetables are added and seasoned with red chili paste, making it very spicy. When you visit Chuncheon, the capital city of Gangwon Province, you must try their Makguksu. Why? Because it is their specialty and is well-known in South Korea. 

6. Bibim Guksu (비빔국수)

Bibim Guksu is a thin wheat flour noodle usually served in a hot and spicy sauce. It is a cold dish topped with thinly sliced cucumber, dried edible seaweed strips and hard-boiled egg. Sometimes, it also includes chopped kimchi. In Korea, it is common in summer. Also, it is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korea.

7. Janchi Guksu (잔치국수)

Janchi Guksu is a wheat flour noodle served in a light broth (from anchovy) . It also served with a sauce made with soy sauce, scallions, sesame oil, and chili pepper powder. It is also topped with a thinly sliced fried egg, edible seaweed strips, and zucchini. In Korea, they traditionally eat this at weddings. 

8. Jjolmyeon (쫄면)

Jjolmyeon is quite related to bibim naengmyeon, but the noodles used in Jjolmyeon have a more chewy texture. It is a cold dish with spicy and hot sauce also served with bean sprouts, cabbage, and boiled egg.

9. Ramyeon (라면)

So are you familiar with this food? I know for sure you knew this one. Ramyeon is an instant noodle dish, mostly spicy. It is extremely popular in South Korea. You can easily buy this in every convenience store, and the cooking procedure is so easy, too. Just boil the dried noodle block, then pour the flavoring powder or sauce, and that’s it, ready to eat. Though you can also order in a restaurant and it is very cheap. 

10. Jjamppong (짬뽕)

Jjamppong is a wheat flour noodle served in a spicy broth with seafood and various vegetables. It is a hot and extremely spicy noodle soup. Ok, so can you manage to eat spicy foods? If you like spicy food, well then, I think you can finish one serving of this. I tried this before but, it’s so spicy that I couldn’t eat it all. 

You can also check other Korean dishes such as grilled dishes, meat-based dishes, soup and stews, snacks, desserts, as well as side dishes here:

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