[Cooking&Food] Kimchimari Guksu: Cold Noodles That Carry a Displaced Family’s Memories
Creatrip Team
a month ago
This piece recalls kimchimari guksu (김치말이 국수), a cold noodle dish made with kimchi brine and served icy even in winter, cherished by displaced Korean families (silhyangmin, 실향민) as comfort food. The author, a third-generation descendant of North Korean refugees, shares family stories: parents and grandparents who fled from Hamgyong and Wonsan, settled in Seoul and later Busan, and kept the tradition of eating cold, tangy kimchi- and dongchimi-based noodles in warm ondol (온돌) rooms. The dish — simple to make after kimjang (김장) using stored kimchi or dongchimi, sometimes mixed with meat broth or topped with shredded boiled meat — served as everyday sustenance and emotional solace. The article notes how recipes adapted to available southern ingredients after migration, risking the gradual loss of the original silhyangmin cuisine as generations pass. A short recipe is included: soba or somyeon noodles, well-fermented kimchi or dongchimi liquid, chilled meat broth or water, shredded pickled radish, sesame oil, sesame seeds and a bit of sugar; combine chilled broths with noodles and top with seasoned shredded kimchi/radish so the soup has a thin layer of ice for authenticity.
