Jaengban Gooksu (Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodle Salad)

I liked the Korean cold noodle salad at Young Dong Tofu - San Gabriel so much that I recreated it later at home. After recently coming across the photos of Ding's Garden - Alhambra and the noodle dishes there, I decided to add shredded roast chicken to my version. Not that you need to add meat, this cold noodle salad works well if you keep it all vegetarian too.

A perfect light dinner for those long hot summer days.

I used green tea buckwheat noodles because that's what I had in the pantry, but regular soba noodles or Korean arrowroot noodles will work too.


Other than that, it was a simple matter of julienning the vegetables. The dressing was a simple mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar.


Jaengban Gooksu (Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodle Salad)

For 2 servings as a meal, or 4 servings as an appetizer, you'll need:
8 ounces buckwheat noodles, boiled and drained
6 leaves red or green leaf lettuce, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
1 small cucumber, julienned
1 egg, made into a thin omelet and finely sliced
1 cup chicken, shredded

For the dressing, you'll need:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tblsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil

Optional: Add 1 tsp gochujang (Korean chili paste) to the dressing. Add some finely sliced Korean sesame leaves to the salad.

Soba noodles boiled and drained in the back. I like red or green leaf lettuce because the leaves are a little more tender than Romaine or iceberg lettuce. Butter lettuce would work as well, but it's more expensive.

Then it's a simple matter of julienning the carrots and cucumbers, and shredding the chicken. Make a thin omelet with only 1 egg. Then thinly slice it.


For the dressing, mix together 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tblsp sugar, and 2 tsp sesame oil. You can heat the dressing on the stove top on medium-low to help the flavors blend together better, but it's not necessary. Taste and adjust if necessary.

Then to assemble, get a plate that has raised sides to absorb the dressing. Start by adding the soba noodles on the bottom, then the lettuce on top.


Layer the carrots, cucumbers, chicken, and eggs.


Then pour the dressing over the salad and dig in.


Enjoy!

I didn't want to just call this a Korean cold noodle salad, so in Googling for the proper Korean name, I came across the dish on Misty Yoon's blog with her much more artful presentation. Next time, I'll have to try putting the vegetables in a circle with the noodles in small bundles in the middle.

Other cold noodle dishes:
Bun Cha Hanoi Nem Ran (Vietnamese Hanoi-Style Rice Vermicelli Noodles with Grilled Pork Patties and Egg Rolls)
Bun Thit Heo Nuong, Tom, Cha Gio (Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork, Shrimp, and Egg Rolls)
Green Tea Soba (Japanese Buckwheat Noodles) with Almond Butter

*****
1 year ago today, Mabo Tofu Ramen.
2 years ago today, Chichen Itza Restaurant - Los Angeles.
3 years ago today, How to Eat a Jackfruit.
4 years ago today, on Sundays...