Vegan Bibim Men (Korean Style Cold Mixed Noodles) is a Japanese interpretation of the traditional Korean cold noodle dish bibim guksu. This delicious vegan bibim men has an irresistible sauce that's spicy, savory, tangy, sweet and garlicky. It's easy to prepare that you'd want to make it over and over.
In a large pot, start boiling water for cooking somen noodles.
Meanwhile, prepare the bibim men sauce. In a large prep bowl, combine gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cane sugar, toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, garlic paste, and gochugaru. Use a whisk to mix until well combined. Set it aside.
Once the water is boiling, cook somen noodles for 2 minutes (or follow the instructions on the package.) Use a colander to drain. Rinse the noodles under running water to remove the starch and to stop cooking. Shake off the excess water.
Prepare an ice bath then transfer the somen noodles to the ice bath to shock them. Once noodles are cooled down, use the same colander to drain immediately (don’t let them sit in the water for too long.) Shake off the excess water very well. Be sure to remove the ice if there are any left in the colander.
Add the well-drained somen noodles to the bowl with the bibim men sauce. Toss them until the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
Serve immediately with English cucumber, vegan kimchi, and extra toasted sesame seeds on top.
Notes
Gochujang
Gochujang is Korean fermented spicy red chili paste.
The spiciness of gochujang may vary. Adjust to taste.
I use Original Gochujang from Mother-in-Law’s. It’s vegan.
Garlic Paste
I use a zester to make garlic paste.
Since it’s raw garlic, it can be very strong for some people. Adjust to your preference. If you aren’t a fan of raw garlic, you can use less or omit. I’ve made one without the garlic paste and it was still just as delicious!
Gochugaru
Gochugaru is Korean spicy red chili pepper flakes. It has somewhat smoky aroma to it.
Adjust the amount to your spice level tolerance.
I use Gochugaru (Korean Chile Flakes) from Mother-in-Law’s.
Toasted Sesame Seeds
It’s very important to use the toasted ones. Untoasted (raw) sesame seeds won’t have the same taste.
If you only have raw sesame seeds or you want to make your own, use my Irigoma (Toasted Sesame Seeds) It’s absolutely easy & delicious!
Some Noodles
Somen noodles are typically sold as dried noodles.
1 serving of dried somen noodles is about 3.5 /100 g
I use Organic Somen Noodles from Gold Mine Natural Foods. The package contains 8.8 oz/250g which is slightly over 2 servings.
Vegan Kimchi
Be sure to look for vegan kimchi. Many kimchi sold in stores may contain some animal ingredients!
Use “traditional” type vegan kimchi made with napa cabbage, not sauerkraut kind (I don’t call that kimchi.)
Kizami Nori is simply a shredded sushi nori seaweed which adds an additional flavor to the dish.
You can buy kizami nori from Asian markets or buy regular sushi nori and shred with scissors. Check out my Kizami Nori (Shredded Nori) in Vegan Japanese Pantry Guide.
Alternatively, use Korean seaweed (gim or kim.)
* This recipe has been modified, improved, and updated on 8/16/2022.