Bibim Guksu Sauce (Korean Spicy Cold Noodle Sauce)
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This quick & easy Korean Spicy Cold Noodle Sauce (Bibim Guksu) recipe features a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce that is perfect for serving with cold noodles. This Korean sauce is so incredibly simple to prepare yet packed with flavor.
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Bibim Guksu Sauce is a Korean summer noodle dish that is served cold. This is probably one of my favorite noodle dishes.
It’s made using thin wheat flour noodles or buckwheat noodles. The noodles are tossed in a flavorful sauce and topped with fresh veggies, kimchi, and a hardboiled egg.
Every Korean family has their own recipe for spicy cold noodle sauce and I’m sharing Harry’s family recipe with you today. It’s the only recipe I use to make cold noodles because it’s the best.
If you like Korean food, you might also enjoy this spicy chicken marinade, bulgogi marinade, and easy gochujang sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
- Fresh apples and Korean pear sweeten the sauce.
- You can adjust the amount of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) to suite your preferred spice level.
- The recipe is easily adjustable. Use it as a starting base and tweak the ingredients to better suit your palate.
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Apples: We like to use red apples. Any apple that isn’t tart will work for this recipe.
- Asian pear: These can usually be found in a big chain supermarket like Food Lion or Publix. They look like apples and have a yellowish-brown color skin.
- Onion: Use one whole sweet onion. If you don’t have a sweet onion, a white onion will work. Avoid red or yellow onions for this sauce.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic will offer the best flavor.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger also works best. You need about a 1-inch piece.
- Corn syrup: We add this because that’s how the family makes it. You can leave it out if you wish.
- Gochugaru: This is Korean chili flakes. You can get it at any Asian market or on Amazon.
- Soy sauce: We use low-sodium soy sauce. If you use regular, you may want to hold the salt until you taste it after blending.
- Vinegar: If you can find Surig Essig Essenz Concentrated Vinegar, use that. It’s a German brand and really packs a punch. If you can’t get it, white distilled vinegar will do the trick.
- Salt: Just a small amount to enhance the flavors. Remember to wait to add it if you are using regular soy sauce.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and spice if needed.
- Serve with chilled noodles.
Tips For Success
- You may not be able to fit everything in the blender at once. Add what you can, pulse to break it down, and continue adding the remaining ingredients.
- Slowly add the gochugaru! Start with 2 tablespoons, taste the sauce then add more if needed.
- The sauce is supposed to be tangy but if you are sensitive to vinegar, add 1 tablespoon at a time until it is tangy to your liking.
FAQ
The sauce is meant to be served with thin wheat flour noodles (somyeon or somen) or buckwheat noodles (memil guksu, aka soba noodles).
We like to serve spicy cold noodles with julienned cucumber, sour kimchi, and half a hardboiled egg. You can also add julienned Asian pear.
Place the sauce in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated. It’s best to use it within 2 days. You can also freeze the sauce and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Use immediately after thawing.
Bibim Guksu Sauce (Korean Spicy Cold Noodle Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 whole red apples, peeled and cored
- 1 whole Asian pear, peeled and cored
- 1 whole sweet onion
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2-4 tablespoons gochugaru
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-3 tablespoons white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. If all the ingredients won't fit in your food processor, add what you can, pulse it to break it down and gradually add the remaining ingredients.
- Taste and adjust seasoning and spice if needed.
- Serve with cooked thin wheat flour noodles (somyeon or somen) or buckwheat noodles (memil guksu, aka soba noodles). You can top the noodles with a bit of julienned cucumber, kimchi, and half a hard boiled egg.
Notes
- Gochugaru: This is a Korean chili flake. You can find it in an Asian market or order it on Amazon. Start with 2 tablespoons. Taste it and add more depending on how spicy you like it.
- Vinegar: Start with 1 tablespoon. Taste it and add more depending on how tangy you like it.  If you can find Surig Essig Essenz Concentrated Vinegar, use that. It’s a German brand and really packs a punch.
- Serving with noodles: The noodles should be cold! Once cooked, drain and dip in ice water to cool them down. Drain well before mixing with the sauce.
- Storage: Keep sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 days of making.
- Freeze: Place sauce in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and use immediately upon thawing.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.