It’s the constant refrain of summer; it’s too hot to cook but we still need to eat. Chilled Kimchi Noodles to the rescue! This refreshing mashup combines both Korean and Japanese flavors, resulting in a cool and satisfying meal that’s the perfect antidote for those sweltering days when you just can’t bear to turn the oven on. Think tender noodles coated in a tangy, spicy kimchi sauce mingling with crisp vegetables and savory toppings for a perfect warm weather bowl. It has enough slurpy noodles to feel indulgent but the heaping pile of veggies helps keep it in virtuous, almost salad territory. Whether you’re looking for a light lunch or a refreshing dinner, these Chilled Kimchi Noodles are sure to become a summer staple in your kitchen. They can also be made ahead so on the day you want to serve them, you don’t have to cook at all, and that’s pretty chill.

I love a recipe that’s not really a recipe. Other than the sauce, which really pulls things together, feel free to swap things to suit your taste or what needs to be used up. Don’t have soba noodles? No problem- use whatever is sitting in your pantry: Rice noodles, bean thread noodles, and even instant ramen noodles or thin spaghetti would all work. Want to bulk up this simple recipe? Add some strips of cooked chicken or tofu. And if you want to add or substitute other vegetables some sliced celery, raw or blanched spinach, or some blanched green beans or snap peas would all be great too. Make your cooking life easy this brutal summer and let’s get to it.

Chilled Kimchi Noodle Sauce

I love this sauce so much. It has the perfect balance of spicy heat (which helps cool you down) and tangy, savory depth. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, making this easy to whip together any night. We swirl together toasted sesame oil for its nutty goodness, soy sauce and seasoned rice vinegar for their signature tang and salty umami, gochugaru chili flakes bring the heat, and kimchi juice adds a little funk, while a bit of sugar and garlic rounds it out. As for the kimchi juice, it you have some of my Real Deal Kimchi or Daikon Kimchi in the fridge, scoop out some of the juice and then use the kimchi in the noodles. But as Ina Garten herself says, store bought is fine.

I usually use unseasoned rice vinegar in my recipes, and if that’s what you have on hand no problem. Just taste and adjust for seasoning if need be. Seasoned rice vinegar has salt and sugar already added to it so make any additions once you’ve made the sauce. Also this sauce is highly seasoned and that’s because the noodles are plain and the vegetables exude a lot of water which will dilute the sauce.

By the way, this is an excellent way to use up old kimchi. You know, the container that’s been tucked all the way back in the fridge for a LONG time. When you buy or make kimchi, it’s hard to finish it in one go because those containers are hefty. And what do you do when the kimchi gets old and funky? Chuck it? No way. Unless you see visible mold or other signs or spoilage, kimchi will keep for months in the fridge. And once it’s too old for serving as an accompaniment (too sour, no longer crunchy, too strong), it’s perfect to use for soups, stews, pancakes, and these Chilled Kimchi Noodles.

Stir it all together until the sugar is dissolved and set aside. You can make the sauce ahead and keep it chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to use.

Once the sauce is done, it’s time prep the veggies. I start by washing and trimming the ends of the cucumbers and then cut them into manageable lengths, about 3 inches long. I’m using the small Persian ones here which are thin skinned and extra crunchy, but any cucumber will do. Peel the skin first and scrape out the seeds if using regular cucumbers to get the best texture.

I like to add wakame to these Chilled Kimchi noodles. Wakame is dried seaweed that has a mild oceanic flavor that’s both salty and subtly sweet and is rich in vitamins and minerals. It often comes cut into small pieces (which is the type I usually buy because it’s easy to store in a jar) but they also sell it in long lengths. A small amount will bloom into quadruple the quantity. Briefly reconstitute wakame in water for several minutes until it’s loose and leafy. Drain and squeeze out excess water and it’s ready to use.

Now on to the most important part- the noodles! I usually use Japanese soba noodles, but as I mentioned earlier, you can use any noodle you like. Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain and run them under cold water to cool them down. If making this dish ahead of time, mix them with a little vegetable or sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together and keep them covered in the fridge. Depending on the type of noodle, they can harden if refrigerated for too long. My suggestion would be to make them no earlier than 1 day ahead. You can also re-heat the noodles in the microwave briefly or blanch in boiling water (just a couple of seconds) to bring back the original texture.

I hope these Chilled Kimchi Noodles get you through the dog days of summer; try serving them with this Strawberry Lychee Lemonade for maximum cooling off. Let me know what you think by commenting and rating the recipe below, and don’t forget to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you.

Chilled Kimchi Noodles

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: noodles
• Cuisine: pan-Asian

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Ingredients

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Noodle Sauce:

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar*
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean Chili Flakes)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons kimchi juice (the liquid from your kimchi jar)
• 2 cloves garlic minced

Kimchi Noodles:

• 2 servings cooked noodles (I used soba-Japanese buckwheat noodles)*
• 2 persian cucumbers (or half a European cucumber)
• 1 cup napa kimchi*
• 1 large shallot
• 1 Tablespoon dried wakame seaweed

Garnish:

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 scallion trimmed and sliced thin

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Instructions

Make the noodle sauce:

1. Combine the soy sauce, seasoned rice vinegar, water, toasted sesame oil, gochugaru, sugar, kimchi juice, and garlic.
2. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Prep your vegetables:

1. Trim the cucumbers and cut them into thirds. Then cut the logs into thick slices. Stack the slices and then cut through them again so you yield thick matchsticks. Put them into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Trim and peel the shallot and then slice thinly. Add it to the cucumbers.
3. Rehydrate the wakame in water for several minutes until it blooms and softens. Then drain and squeeze the excess water out with your hands. Add it to the vegetables.
4. If you’re kimchi is not cut, cut off the core, and then chop it into small pieces. Otherwise, just add it to the vegetable bowl. Mix the vegetables together lightly.
5. Divide the noodles into 2 shallow bowls and mound the vegetables on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with sliced scallions and serve with the sauce on the side. Serve immediately.

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Notes

*If you do not have seasoned rice vinegar (which has salt and sugar added), you can use regular rice vinegar and adjust the seasoning by adding an additional teaspoon of sugar and ⅛ teaspoon of sea salt.

* You can use whatever noodles you like. Rice noodles, Soumen, Soba, Udon, Korean buckwheat noodles, ramen, or even thin spaghetti are all good. This is a great dish to clean out your pantry. I’ve been known to serve different noodles to different people in an effort to use up what I have ;)

*I used cut napa kimchi (called mat kimchi) in this recipe but I also like daikon kimchi in this too. Really most types of kimchi will work, so use up that jar sitting in the back of your fridge.

*This dish is great for making ahead. Keep the servings covered in the fridge and the sauce separate until you are ready to serve. 

Keywords: noodles, summer, kimchi, korean, japanese, spicy, hot weather, no cook,

So after a couple weeks of traveling through chilly Central Europe, I’m home again and what do you think I’m craving? Asian Noodle Soups! But more specifically- Beef Udon! This Beef Udon is everything good in a bowl. Flavorful, simple, fast, and oh so comforting. Udon noodles are so fabulously slippery and chewy, staying the perfect texture all the way to the last bite. And this Beef Udon dish is a keeper. Juicy bites of beef, a tangle of noodles, a next level savory broth, and some fun garnishes create the perfect bowl.

I know we’re getting ready for summer, but Asians eat hot soupy noodles year round. It’s not reserved for wintry months. So whether you have AC 24/7 like we do in Miami, are still experiencing the last vestiges of a cold spring, or believe in sweating out toxins, this Beef Udon will hit the spot. So let’s get into it.

Beef Udon Starts with Dashi

Beef Udon has 3 separate, but quick, components to cook. The first component is a dashi stock. If you made one of the homemade dashi stocks I posted recently, this is an excellent use for it! (If not, you can still make Beef Udon by whipping up a dashi with some dashi powder mixed with water or with dried anchovy dashi packets.)

The second component is a fast stir fry of the beef and onions. I use shaved beef (like the kind used for Philly cheese steaks) that I purchased from Trader Joes. Any tender shaved or thinly sliced beef is fine. You can either purchase it or cut it yourself. If you’re slicing the beef at home, put the beef in the freezer for an hour or so. The semi frozen beef will be much easier to slice that a chunk of swishy meat.

Once the onions are cooked, I move them aside to make room for the beef. Whenever cooking ground meat or hefty amounts of sliced meat, I always try and leave it alone for a minute or two in the pan, to try and get some sear. It’s very hard at home to generate enough heat to burn off moisture and not steam meat, particularly if you have other items in the pan. Cranking up the heat may solve the meat steaming issue, but the other ingredients will scorch. So for me, the solution is to keep the heat moderately high, but allow the meat to sear before stirring it around.

Try this technique on other recipes and see if you like the results. It’s easier and more forgiving than high heat stir-frying.

Once you add the sauce ingredients, stir to coat the beef and then turn the stove off. I prefer a slightly pink beef, plus the residual heat in the pan will continue cooking the beef as well.

Lastly, we head to the third component, which is of course to make the udon noodles. There are two types of udon noodles. Dry and fresh. The fresh ones, which are what I’m using here, come either frozen or vacuum packed, which can be stored at room temperature. I like the frozen noodles best. They have the best chewy texture and only require quick heating as they are already cooked. If you are using vacuum packed noodles, follow the same instructions. However, you will want to proceed with package instructions if you are using dry udon noodles.

While the noodles are cooking I quickly prepare some garnishes. I like to use scallions for their fresh bite and I slice up some Japanese fish cakes for their fun chewy texture and a bit of color. (Love the delicious versality of fish cakes? Try them in this braised pepper dish, in Shabu Shabu, or Japanese Oden Stew.)

Now it’s time to put all three components together, then garnish, and your Beef Udon is ready to serve!

I like to sprinkle a little schichimi togarashi for a little heat.

Now dig in and enjoy- It’s good to be home :)

Love noodles as much as I do? Try some of these other Funky Asian Kitchen faves: Sukiyaki, Mushroom Japchae, or Pancit.

Try this Beef Udon tonight, and let me know what you think.  Don’t forget to tag us @funkyasiankitchen, we love seeing your creations!

Beef Udon

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• Author: Funky Asian Kitchen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: serves 2
• Category: noodles
• Cuisine: Japanese

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Ingredients

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Beef Udon:

• 1 Tablespoon neutral oil
• ¼ large onion
• 8 ounces thinly sliced beef (rib eye, tenderloin, or sirloin are all good choices)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 servings udon noodles (7 ounces dry noodles or 1 pound frozen noodles)

Udon Broth:

• 3 cups of dashi Japanese soup stock
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons mirin
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Toppings (optional but nice to have):

• 1 green onion
• 4 slices kamaboko fish cakes
• Shichimi togarashi chile served on the side

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Instructions

1. Put the dashi in a pot and bring to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, mirin, and salt. Stir to combine. Put a lid over the pot and keep it on low heat while you finish the other components.
2. Peel and slice the onion thinly. Set aside.
3. Trim the scallions and slice thin. Set aside.
4. Slice the kamaboko and reserve the rest for another purpose. (You can freeze it if you do not have an immediate use for it.)
5. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat for several minutes. Add the oil and the onions. Sprinkle lightly with salt and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until softened. 
6. Push the onions to the side and add the beef in one layer. Let it cook untouched for 1 minute and then stir fry for another minute.
7. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar and continue to cook for another minute or two, making sure to coat the meat well with the sauce as it cooks. Set aside.
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the dry noodles according to the package. If you’re using frozen noodles, cook them for 1 minute. Drain the noodles and portion them into two deep bowls. 
9. Top the noodles with the broth, beef, and the garnishes.
10. Serve Beef Udon immediately.

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Notes

*If you do not have dashi you can combine 3 cups of water with 2 teaspoons dashi powder or 1 dashi packet and continue with the recipe.

Keywords: udon, noodles, dashi, beef, fish cakes