Main / Noodles

5 viral, validated main / noodles recipes — each tested by a named editor in a real kitchen.

• Korean · 480 min · Medium

  Mul Naengmyeon — koreanische kalte Buchweizennudeln

  Korea's ultimate hot-weather dish: chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, tangy-savoury beef-and-radish broth, topped with cool cucumber, Korean pear, a halved boiled egg and slices of cold beef, with vinegar and mustard oil added to taste. Mul naengmyeon is bracingly refreshing — slurped from a steel bowl sometimes filled with broth slush — and the contrast of cold, sour, savoury and the slippery-chewy noodles is unlike anything else.

• Japanese · 25 min · Easy

  Kake Udon — japanische Udon-Nudelsuppe

  The soul-soothing simplicity of Japanese noodle soup: thick, chewy, slippery udon noodles in a clear, light, savoury dashi broth seasoned with soy and mirin, topped with little more than sliced spring onion. Kake udon is comfort distilled — the broth and the bouncy noodles are everything, so the quality of the dashi matters. It's quick, warming and endlessly customisable, the base for countless toppings from tempura to a soft poached egg.

• Korean · 40 min · Medium

  Jjajangmyeon — koreanische Nudeln in schwarzer Bohnensauce

  Korea's ultimate comfort takeout: chewy wheat noodles smothered in a glossy, savoury-sweet black sauce of fried chunjang (Korean black soybean paste), pork and diced vegetables, topped with slivers of fresh cucumber. A Korean-Chinese classic born in the port of Incheon, jjajangmyeon is the dish of moving days, celebrations and lazy nights in — rich, salty-sweet and deeply satisfying. The secret is frying the chunjang first to mellow its bitterness into deep umami.

• Korean · 23 min · Easy

  Bibim Guksu — koreanische scharfe kalte Nudeln

  Korea's quick, addictive cold noodle fix: thin wheat somyeon noodles boiled, rinsed icy-cold and tossed in a punchy sweet-sour-spicy sauce of gochujang, gochugaru, vinegar, sugar, sesame and garlic, then topped with crunchy cucumber, kimchi and a halved boiled egg. Bibim guksu (literally 'mixed noodles') is the dish of hot summer days and a beloved snack — bright, refreshing and ready in minutes once the sauce is mixed. The contrast of cold springy noodles and bold, tangy sauce is irresistible.

• Vietnamese · 190 min · Medium

  Cao Lầu — Hoi-An-Nudelschale mit Schweinefleisch

  The singular noodle dish of Hoi An, found almost nowhere else: thick, chewy, faintly smoky noodles — traditionally made with water from a particular ancient well and ash lye, giving them their unique bite and tawny colour — topped with slices of five-spice marinated char siu-style pork, fresh herbs and bean sprouts, crunchy croutons of fried noodle, and just a little intense broth pooled at the bottom. Cao lầu is dry-ish, not soupy, mixed together before eating — a study in texture and balance, with Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese influences reflecting Hoi An's history as a trading port. It's one of Vietnam's most distinctive bowls.