Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for bibim guksu, or Korean-style cold noodle salad

Many foods from far-flung places are now commonly available on UK shores, from sushi to curry, bubble tea to hummus. If curating this international menu were up to me, I’d put Korea’s bibim guksu on there, too. It’s made up of cold noodles dressed with a sweet, spicy and gently sour gochujang sauce and topped with anything crunchy and fresh. Moreover, there’s barely any cooking involved, other than the noodles, meaning it’s very simple to throw together and much greater than the sum of its parts to eat. Especially when eaten on a picnic rug under the sun.

Korean-style cold noodle salad

Gochujang, the sweet, spicy Korean red pepper paste, and smoked tofu are both widely available in major supermarkets. As for the garnishes, feel free to sub any of my suggestions for your favourite summer vegetables.

Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Serves 4

For the dressing
3 tbsp gochujang
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark agave syrup
3 tbsp sesame oil

For the noodles
Fine sea salt
250g soba noodles
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
150g radishes, thinly sliced
200g sugar snap peas, finely shredded
150g red cabbage, finely shredded
280g extra-firm smoked tofu (I like Taifun), cut into ½cm-long matchsticks
4 tsp toasted black sesame seeds

Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a large bowl and mix until smooth.

To cook the noodles, bring three litres of water to a rolling boil, add a tablespoon of salt and mix. Drop in the noodles, stir vigorously to stop them from sticking, then cook according to the packet instructions, moving them around with a fork or tongs to stop them from sticking together. Drain, rinse under cold water until really cold, then drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of oil and toss or stir to coat.

Add the cold noodles to the dressing bowl, then tip on to a large platter and arrange the vegetables and tofu in little piles around the outside, and sprinkle liberally with toasted sesame seeds. Toss everything together at the table, then divide into four individual bowls.

• Meera Sodha’s new book, Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day, is published by Fig Tree at £27. To order a copy for £23.76, go to guardianbookshop.com

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