Janchi Guksu (Korean Banquet Noodles)

Most of you already know that one of Taylor’s favorite foods is noodles. (After fruits and veggies that is, lol.) We go out to eat pho, ramen, or udon at least a few times a week, but when we’re at home and she asks for noodles, one of my go-to recipes is a Korean noodle dish called Janchi Guksu. It’s a super simple dish made with wheat flour noodles and anchovy broth.

In Korean, Janchi Guksu means Banquet Noodles. Traditionally, this dish is served at weddings, birthdays and funerals where many people come together. It can be considered a comfort food that is also easy to make when you have many mouths to feed.

I love that this dish calls for ingredients I usually have readily available and requires minimal prep.

INGREDIENTS: (yields 3 servings)

12 oz. wheat flour (somen) noodles

ANCHOVY BROTH:

6 oz daikon radish
1/2 medium onion
3 garlic cloves
1 TBSP soup soy sauce
the top half of 2 scallions
10 large dried anchovies
4 in square kombu (you can also add dried shiitake mushrooms)
6-8 cups water

TOPPINGS:

1/2 small zucchini julienned

1 small carrot julienned

1 egg (separate white/yolk) friend into thin sheets and julienned

optional:

chopped scallion

(other additional toppings include)

onions
mushrooms
beef
fishcake
kimchi

Spicy Dadaegi Seasoning:

4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes gochugaru
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 tspsesame seeds
1 tsp minced garlic
1 scallion finely chopped
3 chives finely chopped
2 serrano peppers finely chopped (optional—I eat everything extra spicy)
Mix all sauce ingredients together

DIRECTIONS:

Add the radish, onions, anchovies, garlic, kombu, scallions and water to a medium pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 15 minutes, covered. Add the soy sauce and boil for an additional 10 minutes over medium heat. Discard all the solid ingredients from the broth. Keep the broth warm over very low heat while preparing the toppings and noodles.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook according to the package (about 3-4 minutes). Drain and add to an ice bath to stop noodles from cooking. Rinse again and drain water completely.
Lightly sprinkle salt over julienned zucchini and set aside to draw out water. Squeeze out excess liquid from salted zucchini and sauté in a lightly oiled skillet over medium high heat for about a minute or so. Transfer to plate
In the same pan, sauté the julienned carrots over medium high heat until carrots are soft and cooked. Transfer to plate.
Add some oil and fry the egg whites and egg yolk separately. Transfer to cutting board and cut into thin strips.
If you plan to add beef, season the beef strips with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, and pinch black pepper. Let marinate for 5 minutes before cooking over medium heat.
Place the noodles in a serving bowl and pour the hot broth over the noodles. Garnish with all the toppings.
Serve with dadaegi sauce.