Beef noodle soup with buchu

Today’s recipe is noodle soup! This comforting bowl is full of nutrients, so it can be a complete one bowl meal.

In Korea, noodle soups are usually served in a clear broth with a light and refreshing taste. Because of this, the most important part of a good noodle soup is the broth. It should taste clean and not greasy. The broth most commonly used for Korean noodle soup is made from anchovy kelp stock. Sometimes people simmer chicken or beef for a long time to make broth. In temple cuisine, anchovies are not used and the stock is made with kelp, radish, mushrooms.

I am a big fan of anchovy kelp stock. I usually make a large batch and keep it in my freezer so I can quickly make noodle soup whenever I want. This stock is made without salt. When I use it for noodle soup, I add salt and turn it into a flavorful broth. I freeze the stock in containers and take some out whenever I need it. When my supply starts running low, I make another batch so I always have some ready.

Another nice thing about making this stock is the leftover ingredients. The radish, kelp, and mushrooms used to make the stock can still become delicious food! The radish may look like it has lost all its flavor, but you can slice it, coat it with a batter made from the stock and flour, and pan fry it in a little oil. The flavor comes back because the batter absorbs the stock again.

Please check the anchovy kelp stock recipe if you would like to make it.

Radish and shiitake mushroom pancakes that I made while filming this video.

You may notice that this noodle soup recipe includes two simple side dishes. One is thin slices of beef that are seasoned and mixed with a little potato starch, then pan fried in oil. The potato starch gives the beef a shiny look and a tender texture. The other is spicy seasoned buchu. The chives are cut into short pieces and mixed with a savory and spicy seasoning. They are added on top of the noodles like a flavorful topping. This buchu mixture is also delicious as a side dish with rice. Even if you skip the beef and add only the seasoned buchu on top of the noodles, it will still taste wonderful.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe and I look forward to hearing your feedback!

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Ingredients

Serves 2
Cooking time: 30 minutes

For the noodle soup

• 6 cups anchovy kelp stock (or unsalted chicken or beef stock)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces somyeon (thin wheat noodles)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed

For spicy buchu

• 4 ounces buchu (Asian chives), rinsed, drained, and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean hot pepper flakes)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For the beef

• 8 ounces tender beef (sirloin, tenderloin, or rib meat), thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 2 tablespoond vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Prepare the broth.

In a pot, combine the anchovy kelp stock (or chicken or beef stock). Stir in the salt. Cover and set aside.

2. Prepare the spicy buchu.

In a bowl, combine the buchu, gochugaru, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Mix well with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

3. Prepare the beef.

• Combine the beef, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper, sesame oil, and potato starch in a bowl. Mix well by hand.
  

• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl the skillet to coat evenly.
  
• Add the marinated beef and spread it out so the slices do not overlap. Cook for about 1 minute without stirring. Turn the beef over with a spatula and cook until it is no longer pink. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

4. Cook the noodles.

• Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the noodles and stir with a wooden spoon so they don’t stick together.

• Cover and cook until the water begins to bubble over. Uncover and stir again. The noodles will float to the surface. Total cooking time is about 3 minutes.
  
• Taste a noodle. It should be chewy but soft all the way through. If it is slightly firm in the center, cook a little longer.
  
• Drain the noodles in a large strainer and rinse under cold running water, rubbing them with your hands to remove excess starch. Continue rinsing and rubbing until the noodles are cold and no longer slippery.

5. Assemble and serve.

• Bring the broth to a boil over high heat.
  
• Divide the noodles evenly between two bowls.

• Working with one bowl at a time, ladle the boiling broth over the noodles, then tilt the bowl and carefully pour it back into the pot while holding the noodles in place with the ladle. Repeat 2–3 times to warm the noodles and bowl.
  
  This Korean method of warming the noodles with hot broth is called toryeom (토렴)
  
• Ladle in the hot broth. Top with seasoned buchu and a few pieces of beef, and sprinkle with crushed sesame seeds. Repeat the same process with the second bowl and serve right away.

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