Janchi-guksu (잔치국수, Banquet Noodle Soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart heavy pot for broth
• •Large 4-quart or wider pot for boiling noodles
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •10-inch nonstick skillet
• •Sharp knife or mandoline
• •Noodle strainer or colander

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the broth

   Put the water, anchovies, kelp, radish, onion, and dried shiitake if using in a 5-quart pot. Let it stand 10 minutes if you have the time; cold water wakes the dried fish and kelp gently. Set the pot over medium heat. When small bubbles collect at the edge, lift out the kelp. Leave it too long and it gives the broth a slick bitterness that does not belong in this bowl.

   Clean the anchovies properly. Snap off the heads and pinch out the dark guts, because that bitterness is not tradition, it is carelessness.
2. 2

   Simmer and season

   Bring the broth to a quiet simmer, not a hard boil, and cook 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and discard the solids. You should have about 6 1/2 cups broth. Stir in the soup soy sauce and 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt. Taste one spoonful. It should be clean and savory, a little shy of fully salty because the yangnyeomjang will finish the bowl. If it tastes watery, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. If it tastes balanced, stop.

3. 3

   Mix the sauce

   Stir together the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons broth or water, 1 tablespoon of the sliced scallions, garlic, gochugaru, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sugar if using, and green chili if using. Let it sit at least 10 minutes so the garlic settles into the soy. This is yangnyeomjang (seasoning sauce), not soup base. Start with 1 teaspoon per bowl at the table, then add more only if the broth asks for it.

4. 4

   Prepare the toppings

   Toss the julienned zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and set it aside for 10 minutes, then squeeze it gently until it no longer drips. Beat the egg yolks with a few grains of salt in one bowl and the whites with a few grains of salt in another. Keep the carrot, zucchini, yolks, and whites separate. Janchi-guksu looks simple because each small thing is handled cleanly.

5. 5

   Cook the garnishes

   Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook the squeezed zucchini for 1 to 2 minutes, just until glossy and flexible, then move it to a small bowl. Add the carrot and cook 1 minute with no more than a pinch of salt, then move it to its own bowl. Wipe the pan, lower the heat, and film it with the remaining oil. Cook the egg whites in a thin sheet, then the yolks in a thin sheet, without browning them. Cool, roll, and slice into fine jidan (egg garnish) threads. For a weeknight, one whole-egg sheet is an honest shortcut, but keep the heat low.

6. 6

   Boil the somyeon

   Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Do not salt the water; somyeon already carries salt from the noodle dough. Add the noodles and stir right away so they do not clump. When the foam climbs, add 1/2 cup cold water. Let it rise again and add another 1/2 cup cold water. Cook 3 to 4 minutes total, until a noodle has no hard white core when you bite it.

7. 7

   Rinse hard

   Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold running water, rubbing them between your hands for 60 to 90 seconds until the surface starch is gone and the water runs clear. Drain hard. This rinse is why the noodles stay clean and springy instead of clouding the broth. For a hotter bowl, dip the rinsed noodles in boiling water for 10 seconds and drain again. Do not cook somyeon ahead; it waits badly.

8. 8

   Assemble the bowls

   Twirl the noodles into four deep bowls, keeping the strands long. Ladle 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups hot broth into each bowl. Arrange the yellow jidan, white jidan, zucchini, carrot, gim, and remaining scallions across the center in small bands rather than a tall pile. Serve the yangnyeomjang on the side, or place 1 teaspoon in the middle of each bowl. Add kimchi beside it. The noodles wish long years, so do not cut them unless someone at the table needs help eating.

Chef Tips

• •Measure the noodles. Ninety grams dried somyeon per adult is generous once it swells. A whole 500g package looks harmless in the hand and turns into a noodle mountain in the bowl.
• •A Korean anchovy-kelp broth packet is a fair weeknight shortcut if its ingredients are clean: anchovy, kelp, radish, dried fish, mushroom. Simmer two packets in 8 cups water for 10 to 12 minutes, then season the broth yourself. Powdered soup base often tastes flat and too salty here.
• •Serve the yangnyeomjang on the side when you can. Some people want a clear bowl, some want more soy and chili. Let the broth speak first, then season.
• •For a meatless table, replace the anchovies with 5 dried shiitake mushrooms and add one more 4-inch piece of kelp, pulling the kelp early the same way. It will be quieter and darker, not the same bowl, but it is an honest one.
• •The toppings are small, so sloppy knife work shows. Cut the zucchini, carrot, and egg threads close to the width of the noodles. That is not decoration. It makes every bite eat evenly.

Advance Preparation

• •The anchovy-kelp broth can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for 1 month. Reheat it gently and season after reheating, because cold broth hides salt.
• •The soy base for the yangnyeomjang can be mixed up to 3 days ahead. Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds the day you serve it so they still smell fresh.
• •The jidan, zucchini, and carrot can be prepared up to half a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring them toward room temperature before serving so they do not chill the broth.
• •Do not boil the somyeon ahead. Cook, rinse, and assemble it at the end, after the broth, sauce, bowls, and toppings are ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 700g)