Delicious Korean Noodle Dishes

Cold Buckwheat Noodles, Glass Noodles, and Black Bean Noodles

Noodles are a staple in Korean cuisine. The history of noodle dishes in Asia can be traced back to 4000 B.C. Preparations with noodles are relatively simple. They are served in stews, soups, stir-fries, and in cold salad dishes.

On a Korean menu, most of the noodle dishes will be identified as myeon or gooksu if they are noodle dishes. The word "myeon" is related to its Chinese counterpart mien, meaning noodles. Noodles in Korea can be made from sweet potato starch, wheat flour, buckwheat, corn flour, rice flour, and acorn flour to name a few.

In general, a number of Korean noodle dishes offer a variation on the meats, broths, vegetables, and noodles used.

Korean stir-fry noodles, known as chapchae or japchae, use glass noodles and a mix of vegetables, meat, mushrooms, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Japchae is typically prepared with dangmyeon, a type of cellophane noodle made from sweet potato starch. These noodles are also called glass noodles or sweet potato vermicelli.

  • 01 of 05

    Korean Cold Noodles (Mul Naengmyun)

    Korean Cold Noodle Soup (Mul Naengmyeon)

    The Spruce Eats / Christine Ma

    Naeng myun (or naengmyoen) is a Korean cold noodle dish made of thin, slightly chewy buckwheat noodles topped with egg, meat, vegetables, and a savory, vinegary ice-cold broth. Although it is now a summertime food among Koreans, its origins are from the North Korean mountains as a wintertime staple. Buckwheat grows well in high altitudes, and it became an important dish for Koreans living in the harsh mountain climate. But it is refreshing in hot weather, and it is a one-bowl meal that requires very little time on the stove.

    This dish is also great if you follow a gluten-free diet or you are cooking for someone who lives gluten-free. The noodles are typically made of buckwheat, and may also contain sweet potato, plain potato, arrowroot starch, and even kudzu root. Make sure to have Korean mustard paste, sugar, and vinegar on the side when serving this dish. 

  • 02 of 05

    Korean Stir Fried Noodles (Japchae or Chap Chae)

    Korean Stir-Fried Noodles (Jap Chae or Chap Chae)

    The Spruce Eats / Ana Maria Stanciu

    Japchae or chap chae is one of the most popular noodle dishes in Korea and seems to be the one that newbies to Korean food accept readily. The foundation of the dish is a mixture of noodles, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil. This dish uses cellophane or glass noodles, which can be made of mung bean or sweet potato noodles. Both types of noodles absorb tons of flavor, and you can mix and match the vegetables or meat to your liking. Ingredients you can use include broccoli, spinach, cabbage, carrots, onions, red peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and bulgogi beef.

    This dish is enjoyed both hot or cold and can be eaten as an appetizer, side dish, or as a main dish. 

  • 03 of 05

    Korean Noodles With Black Bean Sauce (Jajangmyun)

    Korean noodles with black bean sauce

    ​The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

    Korean noodles with black bean sauce (jajangmyun) is one of the most popular noodle dishes in Korea. It is delicious and satisfying yet inexpensive to buy or make, so it is a favorite home-cooked or takeout meal among many people in Korea. This dish is the Korean adaptation of a Chinese black bean noodle dish with the same name, and you can find it in every Chinese restaurant in Korea. The Korean version is made with a dark sauce made from a chunking paste containing caramel and roasted soybeans.

    It is most common to use wide thick noodles made from wheat flour for jajangmyun. If you cannot find these noodles, you easily can substitute wide buckwheat noodles or even linguine. This dish consists of pork, noodles, and lots of veggies. 

    Serve it with sliced raw onions and white vinegar for splashing on the noodles. 

  • 04 of 05

    Korean Spicy Noodle Soup

    Korean Spicy Noodle Soup Recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Danielle Moore

    This Korean spicy soup is so versatile, you can change up the vegetables, noodles, and proteins to fit your needs. While this recipe uses tofu shirataki noodles for a low-carb diet, they can easily be substituted with sweet potato noodles or other Asian noodles. This soup has a bit of a kick with the chili pepper paste and chili pepper flakes and is warm and filling. 

    Continue to 5 of 5 below.
  • 05 of 05

    Korean Spicy Beef Soup (Yukaejang)

    Korean Spicy Beef Soup (Yukaejang)

    The Spruce Eats / Abbey Littlejohn

    A hearty soup from Korea, yukgaejang is bold and spicy and will warm you up from your head to your toes. This soup uses glass noodles, bean sprouts, scallions, fernbrake, gochugaru (a red powder paste), gochujang (a red pepper paste), and other seasonings and spices. Look in Asian markets, the international aisle in the grocery store, or online for gochugaru and gochujang. Fernbrake, which is a dried seaweed used in Korean cooking, can also be located in this way, but can also be substituted with spinach, asparagus, watercress, and fiddlehead ferns. 

    This soup is one of those that is tastier the day after it's made. You can also freeze it for up to three months for later use.