If you love fresh kimchi and cold noodles, this bowl will hit the spot. 얼갈이 막국수 tosses crunchy fresh eolgari cabbage in a spicy-sour perilla oil sauce and piles it over chewy ice-bathed buckwheat noodles. Crunchy, spicy, sour, nutty and refreshing in one bite. (Recipe from @foodgasm.recipe.)
Why It Works
The seasoned cabbage is honestly good enough to eat on its own, like a fresh kimchi you did not have to wait for. Over cold buckwheat noodles it gets even better, because the chew of the noodles carries the spicy-sour sauce and the perilla oil finishes everything nutty.
What You Will Need
- 200g eolgari cabbage, cut bite-size
- 1 serving buckwheat noodles
- Green onion and perilla seed powder
- 3 tbsp gochugaru
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp tuna sauce
- 2 tbsp allulose
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- A pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp perilla oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
How To Make It
- Cut the eolgari into bite-size pieces and put it in a mixing bowl. Eolgari is a tender young Korean cabbage, and baby cabbage works if you cannot find it.
- Add the gochugaru, soy sauce, tuna sauce, allulose, minced garlic, salt, perilla oil and vinegar. This sauce carries the whole bowl.
- Mix until the cabbage turns glossy and starts to soften.
- Cook the buckwheat noodles to the package instructions.
- Rinse them well, then chill in an ice bath until properly cold.
- Drain and lay the noodles as the base of the bowl.
- Pile the seasoned eolgari on top, finish with green onion and perilla seed powder, and mix everything together before eating.
This is the kind of bowl you start craving again as soon as it is gone.
Singapore Swaps
Baby cabbage stands in for eolgari at any supermarket here. Buckwheat noodles, perilla oil, perilla seed powder and tuna sauce are all at Korean marts in Singapore.
One Tip Before You Start
Drain the noodles hard after the ice bath. Watery noodles dilute the sauce, and this sauce deserves better.
FAQ
What is eolgari cabbage?
A young, leafy Korean cabbage, crunchier and milder than napa. Baby cabbage is the closest easy swap in Singapore.
Can I make it less spicy?
Yes. Scale back the gochugaru and balance with a little more allulose.
