Bibim Guksu

Ingredients

• 6⅓ ozThin noodlesbuckwheat, thin wheat or konjac noodles
• 1Cucumberseeded, cut into thin matchsticks, well chilled
• 2 tbspSoy saucefor the dressing
• 2 tbspSugarfor the dressing
• 1 tbspVinegarclear vinegar, for acidity
• 2 clovesGarlicfinely minced
• 1 tbspSesame seedstoasted, to toss in and sprinkle over
• 1 tbspGochugarufor heat and colour of the dressing (optional)
• 1 tbspGochujangalternative base instead of soy sauce (optional)
• 1 tbspSesame oiltossed in at the end (optional)
• 2Egghard boiled, halved as topping (optional)
• 1Carrotjulienned, briefly cooked with the noodles (optional)
• 1Zucchinijulienned, briefly cooked with the noodles (optional)
• 2Spring onionsliced (optional)
• 1Onionthinly sliced, raw topping (optional)
• 3½ ozChicken breastpoached and shredded as topping (optional)
• 3½ ozSeaweedsoaked, as topping (optional)
• 1 bunchBaby salad leavesas fresh topping (optional)

Method

1. For the dressing, stir the soy sauce — or gochujang, if you'd rather use that as the base — together with the sugar, vinegar, finely minced garlic, Korean chili powder and some of the toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl until smooth, then let it sit for a few minutes.
2. Wash the cucumber, scrape out the seeds and cut it into fine matchsticks; keep it well chilled until you're ready to serve. Cut the carrot, zucchini and onion into thin strips as well, if using, and slice the spring onions.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and cook the noodles until just tender with a bit of bite. Whenever the water foams up hard, splash in a little cold water so it doesn't boil over.
4. If you like, drop the carrot and zucchini strips into the noodle water for the last one to two minutes so they cook only briefly and stay crisp.
5. Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold running water, working them through with your hands until they're properly cold. Then drain them thoroughly.
6. Put the noodles, cucumber and the rest of the vegetables in a large bowl with the dressing and toss everything well with your hands so every strand is coated. Toss in the sesame oil at the end if you're using it.
7. Divide the noodles between two bowls, top with halved hard-boiled eggs, shredded poached chicken breast, soaked seaweed or baby salad leaves, scatter over the remaining sesame seeds and sliced spring onion, and serve right away.

Tips and variations

Buckwheat noodles with nothing but raw, ice-cold cucumber instead of cooked vegetables make for an especially fresh bowl; if you want to keep things simple, just cook the vegetables in the same noodle water. For a lighter version, use konjac noodles with seaweed and poached chicken breast, seasoned with gochujang, plum syrup and chili sauce. Sliced cold cuts work as a topping in place of the egg. Nice at the table: serve the noodles and the dressing separately and let everyone mix their own — about two tablespoons of dressing per person.