Bibim guksu is the fastest cold noodle dish in the Korean repertoire. Thin wheat somyeon noodles cook in under three minutes, get shocked in iced water until they are properly cold, then are tossed through a sweet, sour and spicy cho gochujang dressing.
Everything hinges on the dressing being sharper than you expect. Gochujang alone is too heavy and sweet, so it is cut with rice vinegar and a spoonful of maesil cheong until it tastes bright enough to make you blink. Cold noodles dull flavour, so season it boldly in the bowl.
Chopped sour kimchi, cucumber and a soft-boiled egg are the standard toppings. It comes together in fifteen minutes and is exactly the right thing on a hot Sydney evening.
