Korean Spicy Noodles & Vegetables | Jaengban Guksu (쟁반 국수)

There's a pretty pathetic, unhelpful post for jaengban guksu on my blog from two and a half years ago. So, it's time for an update. This is another dish that would be nice to serve at your barbecue on Friday for the Fourth or to bring to a picnic. It's a cold noodle dish that doesn't necessarily have to be refrigerated and it's full of vegetables so you feel good eating it. Well, I feel good eating it.

Ingredients [serves 2 as a main dish, serves 4 to 6 as a side dish]:
salad ingredients
2 bundles of soba noodles
3 cups greens of your choice (I like microgreens; baby spinach, spring mix, baby arugula)
chopped vegetables of your choice - carrots, cucumbers, onion, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.
chopped apple or pear
*proportions of vegetables will depend on your preference; if you like a lot of veggies, add a lot!

sauce
1½ tablespoons hot pepper paste (gochujang; use more or less depending on your spice preference)
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 tablespoon vinegar (rice wine or apple cider are my preferred but I used pomegranate vinegar here)
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ apple or pear, grated (approximately 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon grated ginger

Get a pot of water boiling and cook your noodles until just barely tender, maybe 8 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking and to rinse off the excess starch.

Mix together all of the sauce ingredients until uniform and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary - if it is too spicy, add more grated apple and vinegar. If it isn't spicy enough, add more hot pepper paste.

Add a few good handfuls of greens and your vegetables to a big bowl. Dump in the noodles and sauce and toss together.

Pile additional greens onto your serving platter and dump your noodle mixture right on top for a pretty presentation.

Serve and enjoy!

This is spicy and refreshing and delicious. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat and one serving (1 cup) is around 113 calories (versus regular pasta which is 200+ calories). The veggies will make you feel good too. It's a perfect summertime lunch or dinner because it's an easy and quick recipe to whip together and it doesn't require slaving over a stove. If you want to add some protein, you can definitely add some tofu or a hardboiled egg. If you're carnivorous you could also add some grilled chicken. Whatever floats your boat; this recipe's rather flexible so just throw in what you like.

Here's the recipe page: