Janchi Guksu Recipe (잔치국수, Korean Warm Noodle Soup)

A bowl of janchi guksu looks almost too gentle to make much of an impression: thin white noodles, a clear golden broth and a few colorful strips of vegetables and egg.Then you take the first spoonful, and the dried anchovies and kelp give that light-looking soup a savory depth that makes you reach for another.

This is a good dish for the days when you want something warm without a heavy sauce.The noodles are soft and slippery, the toppings add a little texture, and a small spoonful of scallion soy sauce can change the flavor of the whole bowl.Keep that sauce on the side and everyone can decide how much seasoning they want.

The most useful trick is to cook the noodles separately from the broth.It takes one extra pot, but keeps the soup clearer and makes it easier to get the noodles right.While the stock simmers, there is enough time to prepare the simple toppings.

Korean janchi guksu with thin noodles, clear broth, zucchini, carrot, egg strips and roasted seaweed. — Warm janchi guksu with clear broth, simple toppings and a little seasoning sauce on the side.

Serves: 2 generous bowlsPrep: about 15 minutes, mostly while the broth cooksCook: about 30–35 minutes, with toppings prepared alongside the brothTotal: about 40–45 minutesMain tip: keep the broth hot and cook the noodles just before serving

Jump to recipe

So, What Is Janchi Guksu?

Janchi guksu (잔치국수) is a Korean warm noodle soup made with thin wheat noodles, a light broth and simple toppings.Janchi means a feast or celebration, and the dish is often translated as banquet noodles.For this home-style version, dried anchovies and kelp make the stock, with zucchini, carrot, egg and seaweed on top.

Unlike spicy cold bibim guksu, the flavor begins with the broth rather than a red dressing.The optional soy seasoning sauce, called yangnyeomjang, adds saltiness, scallion and a little chili at the table.You can keep the base soup mild and use the sauce a small spoonful at a time.

What You’ll Need (Serves 2)

Anchovy and kelp broth

1.5 liters water (about 6¼ US cups), plus a little hot water if needed
15 g large dried soup anchovies, with heads and dark guts removed before weighing
5 g dried kelp (dasima or kombu), about one 10 cm square, or several smaller pieces
100 g peeled Korean radish (mu), cut into thin chunks; daikon works too
¼ medium onion, about 75 g
1 tbsp Korean soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang), or start with 1 tsp regular soy sauce
¼ tsp fine salt to start, then more to taste

Noodles and toppings

200 g (about 7 oz) dried somyeon, Korean thin wheat noodles
½ small zucchini, about 120 g, cut into thin matchsticks
½ small carrot, about 60 g, cut into thin matchsticks
2 large eggs, beaten with a small pinch of salt
2 tsp neutral oil, divided, plus a little more only if needed
A few small pinches of salt for the vegetables
1 small sheet roasted seaweed (gim or nori), cut into fine strips
1 green onion, finely sliced
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Scallion soy seasoning sauce

2 tbsp regular soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp finely minced garlic
½–1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), optional
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Use a 240 ml cup, a 15 ml tablespoon and a 5 ml teaspoon.Look for large dried anchovies sold for soup stock, rather than the tiny ones used for stir-fried side dishes.They are also different from oil-packed anchovies in a tin.Japanese somen is a close substitute for somyeon; follow its own cooking instructions.

Somyeon noodles, dried anchovies, kelp, radish, onion, zucchini, carrot, eggs and seaweed for janchi guksu. — Thin wheat noodles, dried anchovies and kelp are the starting point for this home-style bowl.

Let’s Cook

1. Start the broth.

Put the water, prepared anchovies, kelp, radish and onion in a medium saucepan.Bring slowly to a gentle simmer over medium heat.After the kelp has simmered for about 5 minutes, lift it out with tongs.Continue simmering the remaining ingredients, uncovered, for another 15–20 minutes, until the radish is tender and the broth tastes savory.

Keep the bubbling steady but gentle.This is a short stock, so there is no need for a hard boil or hours of cooking.While it simmers, prepare the toppings and seasoning sauce below.

Anchovies, kelp, radish and onion simmering in a saucepan to make broth for Korean noodle soup. — Begin the broth gently and remove the kelp after about five minutes of simmering.

2. Cook the vegetable toppings.

Warm about ½ teaspoon of oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat.Add the zucchini with a small pinch of salt and cook for about 2–3 minutes, just until tender but still holding its shape.Transfer it to a plate.Add another ½ teaspoon of oil and cook the carrot separately with a pinch of salt for about 2 minutes, then set it beside the zucchini.

Keep the piles separate if you want the familiar striped arrangement on top of the noodles.The vegetables should be lightly cooked rather than browned.If your skillet is very hot, lower the heat before adding the next topping.

3. Make the egg strips.

Wipe the skillet clean, then coat it thinly with the remaining teaspoon of oil.Lower the heat to medium-low and pour in the beaten eggs to make a thin omelet.If your pan is small, cook the eggs in two batches.Cook gently until the underside sets, turn carefully and finish until the egg is fully set on both sides.

Slide onto a clean board and let it cool briefly.Fold loosely and slice into thin ribbons.Cooking the eggs together makes an easy yellow topping; separating yolks and whites for two colors is optional, not necessary.

Separate piles of cooked zucchini, carrot, egg strips and roasted seaweed, with scallions and sesame seeds. — Prepare the toppings while the broth cooks, keeping them in separate piles for easy assembly.

4. Strain and season the broth.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.Discard the spent anchovies and onion; the cooked radish can be saved as a small side if you like.You should have roughly 1.1–1.2 liters of broth.If it has reduced much further, add a little hot water; if it tastes weak, simmer briefly before seasoning.

Add the soup soy sauce and the starting ¼ teaspoon of salt.Taste and adjust gradually, remembering that the sauce at the table will add more salt.If using regular soy sauce instead, start with the smaller teaspoon amount and use salt for further seasoning to keep the broth light in color.Keep hot over low heat.

5. Mix the seasoning sauce.

Stir together the regular soy sauce, water, chopped green onion, sesame oil, garlic, optional chili flakes and sesame seeds.Transfer to a small serving bowl.This is a concentrated condiment, so it is meant to be added by the spoonful, not poured into the whole pot.

6. Cook and rinse the noodles.

In a separate large pot, bring water to a full boil.Add the somyeon and stir straight away to separate the strands.Cook according to the package directions, usually about 3–4 minutes for thin noodles, checking a strand before draining.Watch the pot because starchy foam can rise quickly.

Drain into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, gently loosening the strands with clean hands to remove excess surface starch.Drain well.To take off the chill before serving, dip the drained noodles briefly into fresh boiling water, about 5–10 seconds, then drain again.Keep this dip short so the noodles do not become soft.

7. Assemble the bowls.

Divide the noodles between two large soup bowls.Arrange the zucchini, carrot and egg strips in small piles on top.Pour the hot broth around the noodles, then finish with seaweed, sliced green onion and sesame seeds.Keep the seaweed until the end so it does not sit soaking while you finish the other bowls.

Janchi guksu topped with zucchini, carrot, egg and seaweed, beside strained broth and scallion soy sauce. — Add hot broth to the noodles and toppings, then offer the scallion soy sauce at the table.

Serve immediately with the scallion soy sauce on the side.Try the broth first, then stir in a teaspoon of sauce and taste again.A little kimchi alongside adds crunch and contrast, but the soup should still taste good before you add anything else.

A Few Tips

Take a little care with the anchovies.

Removing the dark guts from large soup anchovies helps avoid an overly bitter stock.There is no need to pull the little bones out one by one, because the broth will be strained.Store leftover dried anchovies tightly sealed in the freezer to help preserve their quality.

Kelp and roasted seaweed have different jobs.

Dasima is the thicker dried kelp used to flavor the broth.Gim is the thin roasted seaweed used as a finishing topping.They are not interchangeable here, even though both come from the sea.

Keep noodles out of the stockpot.

Cooking the dry noodles directly in the broth releases starch into the soup and makes it harder to control the final amount of liquid.Separately cooked noodles also let you assemble one bowl at a time.Once assembled, eat promptly because the noodles continue to absorb broth.

Let the seasoning sauce do the final work.

A lightly seasoned broth leaves room for the soy sauce condiment.If you add plenty of sauce to broth that is already heavily salted, the finished bowl can become too salty very quickly.

Quick FAQ

Can I make this vegetarian or vegan?

The anchovy version contains fish, so it is not vegetarian.For a vegetarian variation, leave out the anchovies and use about 10 g dried shiitake mushrooms with the kelp, radish and onion; simmer until the mushrooms are tender, then strain and season to taste.For a vegan bowl, also omit the egg and add more vegetables or plain tofu.Check packaged stock and seasonings carefully, as some contain fish extracts.

Can I use a broth packet?

Yes, an anchovy-kelp stock packet is a convenient shortcut.Follow its package directions, aiming for about 1.1–1.2 liters of finished broth.Check whether it contains salt before adding the soy sauce and salt in this recipe.A mildly seasoned vegetable stock is another option, with a different flavor.

Do I have to make all the toppings?

No, zucchini and egg alone make a good simple bowl.Carrot gives color and a little sweetness, while seaweed adds another savory note.Small amounts arranged neatly are enough; the noodles and broth are still the center of the dish.

Make Ahead and Leftovers

The broth is the most useful part to make ahead.Store it separately from the noodles and toppings, then cook fresh noodles when you are ready to eat.Leftover assembled noodles soften quickly, so aim to prepare only as many bowls as you need.

Divide leftover broth and cooked toppings into small, shallow containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature is above 32°C (90°F).Keep the refrigerator at 4°C (40°F) or below and use refrigerated broth and cooked toppings within 3–4 days.Reheat leftovers to at least 74°C (165°F), and bring reheated soup to a boil.Freeze strained broth in portions for up to 2–3 months for best quality.

More Korean Recipes

For more ideas for the table, browse the Taste Korea recipe collection.A small serving of Korean bulgogi also makes a good companion when you want a fuller meal.

Taste Korea