들기름국수 / Deul girum guksu (Somyeon of perilla oil)

Somyeon noodles can be eaten hot or cold, in a broth or tossed in a sauce. Here’s one cold version, tossed in a sauce of soy sauce and perilla oil, served with generous amounts of roasted seaweed and ground sesame seeds, and garnished with fresh perilla leaves.

The preparation is simple with just a few ingredients to combine, but you have to get each one right. Super important is the preparation of the somyeon. The dried somyeon needs to be boiled perfectly al dente, then quickly brought to an ice cold water bath and continued to be washed for a few minutes gently with your hands to remove as much of the starch as possible. This allows the noodles to take in the sauce well and provide a silky consistency that is enjoyable to eat (not starchy and sticky and dry).

The soy sauce and perilla oil that you use need to be good, delicious eaten on their own.

The roasted seaweed is maybe what delivers the biggest pleasure to this meal. The seaweed needs to be as fresh as possible, and delicious eaten on their own as well. I used un-roasted dried seaweed which I roasted briefly on a heavy pan, and ripped them to the smallest shreds possible - using a small plastic bag to crumple them up in, or a food processor to blitz.

Here’s a recipe for a nice bowl of nutty, flavorful, refreshing noodles with interesting textures to enjoy on a warm day.

들기름국수 / Somyeon Noodles of Perilla Oil (for 2 generous bowls)

Ingredients list:
-3 spoons korean jin soy sauce
-1 spoon korean maesil / plum syrup
-4 spoons perilla oil
-2 small handfuls of dried somyeon
-6-8 sheets of dried, unsalted seaweed (you can use roasted or unroasted)
-2-3 spoons of toasted sesame seeds, partially grounded in a mortar and pestle.
-4 sizeable fresh perilla leaves

Prepare the sauce: mix the soy sauce, maesil / plum syrup, and perilla oil well. Set aside.

Prepare the roasted seaweed: If using unroasted, roast the sheets well while avoiding to burn. If using roasted, then no need to roast them again on your own. Tear the seaweed into relatively small pieces and then throw them into a small plastic bag, and seal the bag with as much air taken out as possible. Then crumple the bag with your hands to shred the seaweed into the smallest pieces possible within the bag. Set aside.

Prepare the toasted sesame seeds and slice the fresh perilla leaves into thin ribbons.

Prepare the somyeon: bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the dried somyeon and let it cook al dente (follow the orders of the package- usually about 3 minutes). Taste one before taking it out. When ready, throw them into an ice bath of cold water, refreshing the water again and again but keeping the ice in to keep the water cold, and then gently rub the noodles in between your hands whilst keeping them submerged in the ice water to “scrub” the starch out. Drain, and add into a big mixing bowl.

Add in the sauce to the noodles spoon by spoon, mixing gently into the noodles your hands. Taste, add more, taste add more. You can use the whole amount of the sauce, or less, or perhaps you might need to make a bit more— all depending on your taste preference, the condition of your somyeon, and how much somyeon you are working with. Make sure you keep tasting as you season.

Divide the sauced noodles into two seperate bowls, and then dust them generously with a handful of the shredded seaweed. Then dust over it with half of the sesame seeds. Then top with the fresh perilla leave ribbons.

Take a bowl of the remaining shredded roasted seaweed to the table with a small spoon, and keep spooning the seaweed over your noodles as you continue to eat your somyeon.

Some sort of kimchi or pickled vegetable goes nicely as a condiment to these noodles.