[Thailand Recipes] Easy Cold Kimchi Noodle Soup (Kimchimari Guksu) (2024)

Cold Kimchi Noodle Soup or Kimchimari Guksu 김치말이 국수 is a wonderfully cooling noodle dish that comes in a very cold (can be even icy) Kimchi broth that’s just so incredibly delicious that you will want to drink the whole bowl until the last drop! You don’t need to do a lot of cooking for this dish because the kimchi juice has all the flavors that you need.

What is Kimchimari Guksu

Kimchimmari 김치말이 literally means to ‘mix something with Kimchi’ and Guksu 국수 means ‘noodles’. Just like the rice version, it originates from North Korea where my parents are originally from (before the Korean war). So, I grew up eating this dish but have not seen this at many restaurants until recently. A few days ago, I saw this served at the end of a Korean BBQ meal at our local restaurant and it inspired me to share a recipe for it here.

Each province in North Korea may have a slightly different variation but according to my mom, it is mostly made with beef broth + kimchi juice or Dongchimi juice and really nothing more than that. I have seen some Soeul restaurants add sesame oil and roasted gim to it and I kinda like that version but my mom says the version she remembers doesn’t have any of that. Just so you know.

Also note that the North Korean style Kimchi is very light, not as spicy and has a lot more juice than the more common ones you see today in South Korea. My Blender Kimchi is probably the closest one I have that’s more North Korean style. It is lighter in seasoning overall and less spicy compared to some of the kimchis you see today.

And yes, Kimchimari is also what I named my blog name after – but to be precise, it’s actually the rice version as that one is just called Kimchimari.

Kimchimari-Guksu-Cold-Noodle-Soup

Ingredients

• Somyeon 소면 or Ssal Somyeon 쌀소면 Noodles
• Cucumber
• Cabbage Kimchi
• Roasted Seaweed (Gim) – optional
• Egg – optional
• Soup –
• Chicken Broth
• Water
• Kimchi juice (Putbaechu Kimchi or Cabbage Kimchi)
• rice vinegar
• soy sauce
• sugar
• salt
• sesame oil
• sesame seeds

Step-by-Step Instructions

While the water is boiling, julienne cucumbers and set aside.

Cut kimchi into small thin strips, season it with sugar, sesame seeds and sesame oil.

To cook the gluten-free Ssal Somyeon 쌀소면 which I used in this recipe, add noodles to boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes, then rinse in ice cold water 2-3 times. Let it drain. If using other regular wheat Somyeon 소면, follow directions on the package.

Prepare soup – In a bowl, add chicken broth, water and kimchi liquid. I had some ripened Putbaechu Kimchi on hand which was absolutely perfect for this recipe. Regular Napa Cabbage Kimchi or any good store bought or homemade Kimchi liquid will work just fine too. Just make sure it’s fully ripened or slightly sour. Add vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar. Keep it chilled in the fridge until serving time.

Finally, add 1/2 egg per bowl, sprinkle some torn roasted sea laver (gim) piecse for extra nutty flavor.

And that’s it!! Hope this will help you keep cool this summer.

Cold Kimchi Noodle Soup (Kimchimari Guksu)
Cold Kimchi Noodle Soup (Kimchimari Guksu) is a simple but delicious noodle dish that's perfect for the summer. The cold soup is so addictingly delicious. It's refreshing, tummy clearing, spicy, tangy wiht a great zing!
Prep:15 minutes
Cook:10 minutes
Total Time:55 minutes
serves: people

Ingredients

▢1/2 package Sempio Ssal Somyeon (Gluten Free Rice Noodles) or other thin Somyeon noodles

Soup
▢1 cup chicken broth
▢10 Tbsp water
▢1/4 cup kimchi juice (cabbage kimchi, radish green kimchi, putbaechu kimchi all works)
▢1 Tbsp rice vinegar
▢2.5 tsp sugar
▢1 tsp soy sauce (jin ganjang)
▢1/8 tsp sea salt
▢1/2 each cucumber (korean, japanese, english, persian cucumber)

seasoned cabbage kimchi
▢3/4 cup cabbage kimchi julienned
▢1/2 tsp sugar
▢1/4 tsp rice vinegar (optional – add if kimchi is not sour)
▢1 tsp sesame seeds
▢1/2 tsp sesame oil (add if you love sesame oil)

garnish
▢1/4 cup Putbaechu (Seoul Green Cabbage) Kimchi optional
▢2 Tbsp roasted sea laver (gim)
▢1 each egg

Instructions

1. Boil a pot of water to cook noodles in.
2. Boil an egg using your favorite method. For hard boiled eggs, I usually just add eggs to a pot with cold water, turn heat to medium and then let it come to boil slowly (so the egg doesn’t crack) and let it cook for 10-12 min. Then transfer eggs to an ice bath and peel after couple minutes. Slice it in half. Each bowl should get 1/2 an egg.
3. 1 each egg
4. While the water is boiling, julienne cucumbers set aside.
5. 1/2 each cucumber
6. Cut kimchi into small thin strips, season it with sugar, sesame seeds and optionally sesame oil.
7. 3/4 cup cabbage kimchi, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp sesame oil
8. To cook the gluten-free Ssalmyeon 쌀면 which i used in this recipe, you just need to cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes, then rinse in cold water 2-3 times. Let it drain. If using other Somyeon 소면, follow directions on the package.
9. 1/2 package Sempio Ssal Somyeon (Gluten Free Rice Noodles)
10. Prepare soup – In a bowl, add chicken broth, water and kimchi liquid. I had ripened Putbaechu Kimchi which was perfect for this recipe. Regular Napa Cabbage Kimchi liquid will work just fine too. Just make sure it’s fully ripened or slightly sour. Add vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar and taste. You may want more vinegar or sugar. Keep it chilled in the fridge until serving time. To make it EXTRA ICY – put in freezer for 1 hr or so to make it a slushy consistency.
11. 1 cup chicken broth, 10 Tbsp water, 1/4 cup kimchi juice, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 2.5 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/8 tsp sea salt