Jatguksu (Korean Pine Nut Noodles)

Jatguksu is a light and cold Korean noodle dish, typically enjoyed in the summer. Jat (pine nuts) can either be lightly roasted in a pan or soaked in water to make a pine nut based milk to serve with Guksu (noodles). 

This dish is very similar to another Korean favorite summer dish called Kongguksu, Korean Soy Milk Noodles. I honestly love both dishes but tend to favor Jatguksu a tiny bit more. 

Firstly, Jatguksu is a lot easier to make. For Kongguksu, homemade soy milk is highly recommended because store bought soy milk tends to be diluted with water, masking any nutty flavor. So the night before, soybeans need to be soaked and then cooked in boiling water. Pine nuts, on the other hand, do not need to be cooked but need to either be soaked for 2 hours or lightly roasted in the pan for a few minutes to remove any traces of phytic acid. 

Secondly, pine nuts have a higher fat content, yielding in a buttery taste and texture. Therefore, Jatguksu is creamier with more of a neutral taste rather than a strong bean taste, like Kongguksu.

In order to increase the protein content of Jatguksu, I like to add a cup of homemade almond milk. Any non-dairy milk (or dairy milk) should work but I find the taste of almond milk to be milder and not too overpowering. 

If you don’t have any noodles on hand, I recommend just making the pine nut and almond nut milk to enjoy with your favorite granola, matcha lattes, etc! One cup is packed with nutrients and proteins and most importantly, so much flavor. Seriously, the taste of homemade nut milks does not compare to store bought nut milks. 

Whether you’re looking to enjoy a bowl of Jatguksu or a cup of refreshing homemade pine nut and almond milk, this recipe comes together quickly, using simple ingredients!

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quick notes

• Soaking pine nuts and almonds, or any type of beans and nuts, is important because of the natural protective toxin called phytic acid present in the bran and hulls of beans. Phytic acid helps protect beans/nuts from sprouting in your kitchen but hinders the absorption of essential minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, iron and calcium, when consumed. By soaking the pine nuts and almonds, the phytic acid is neutralized, activating the nutrients as well as enzymes that aid in digestion.
• One of the benefits in making homemade nut milks is the ability to control sweetness and texture. I personally like to add 2-3 dates or a drop of maple syrup to make my nut milks sweeter. Additionally, feel free to add in more nuts to make it creamier or water to make it less creamy.
• You can double the recipe to make a bigger batch of nut milk. 
• The silky texture of somen noodles adds lightness to the dish but feel free to use buckwheat noodles, zucchini noodles, etc.
• If you’ve never had pine nuts before, make sure to read about the pine nut syndrome! Rare but apparently a big risk! 

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JATGUKSU (KOREAN PINE NUT NOODLES)

Homemade almond milk

• ½  almonds
• 2 cups water

Soak almonds overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours with filtered water. 

Optional: Remove skins from almonds by pressing it between your fingers. The skins should slip off easily. 

Blend water and almonds together for a 2-3 minutes and strain through a cheesecloth, nut milk bag or sieve.

Homemade pine nut milk

• ½ pine nut
• 1 cup water

Method 1: Soak pine nuts in filtered water for 2 hours. 

Method 2: Roast pine nuts over a hot pan until browned and fragrant.

Transfer pine nut in a blender with water and blend for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup of almond milk and blend again. (If only making the nut milk, feel free to adjust sweetness and texture by adding dates, maple syrup or more nuts.) Strain nut milk through a cheesecloth, nut milk bag or sieve. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Noodle dish

• Somen noodles
• Kimchi cucumber 
• Pine nuts
• Black sesame seeds

Cook somen noodles according to the package and rinse with cold water. Place noodles in a bowl and pour in pine nut and almond nut milk. Garnish with kimchi cucumber, pine nuts and black sesame seeds.

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p.s. If you like this recipe, click the icons below to share and leave a comment below! Make sure to tag me @girlmeetsradish & #girlmeetsradish so I can see what you are making!