Hand-Torn Noodle Soup (Sujebi)

Sujebi is a traditional noodle soup that Koreans like to eat on rainy days to keep them warm and cozy. The rustic noodles are made from just flour, water, salt, and oil. To make a meal of it, serve it with kimchi and a few side dishes. You can knead the dough by hand or make it in a food processor. If you hand-knead it, put some energy into it—the longer you knead, the chewier and better the noodles will be. Resting the dough in the refrigerator makes it easier to work with. Tearing the noodles from the mass of dough is a fun job for your children, but “hand torn” doesn’t mean sloppy or haphazard. The noodles should be stretched into thin, uniform lengths. You can make yours as narrow or wide as you like, but be sure to stretch them very thin, about ⅛ inch. (You could also use a pasta machine.) Koreans judge the skill of a cook by his or her noodles. Practice makes perfect.

SERVES: 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS:

DOUGH:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup water
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

SOUP:

• 10 cups water
• 12 large dried anchovies (mareun-myeolchi), heads and guts removed
• 1 (4-x-5-inch) piece dried kelp (dasima), cut into strips
• 2 medium russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• ½ cup thinly sliced onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce or Korean soup soy sauce, preferably homemade
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the dough: Combine the flour, water, salt, and vegetable oil in a large bowl and knead in the bowl until the dough is smooth (like pizza dough), 10 to 15 minutes. Alternatively, combine the flour, water, salt, and
   oil in a food processor fitted with the dough blade and process until the dough comes together in a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Make the soup: Pour the water into a large pot, add the dried anchovies and dried kelp, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for another 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the kelp and anchovies with a slotted spoon; discard the anchovies and reserve a few strips of kelp for garnish.
3. Add the potato, onion, and garlic to the pot and cook over medium- high heat until the potatoes are soft but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Add the fish sauce and reserved kelp strips, cover, and keep at a low boil.
5. Now it’s time to make noodles: Fill a small bowl with cold water. Pick up the dough with your left hand (or right hand, if you are left-handed). Dip the fingers of your other hand into the water and pull and stretch a 3-
   inch portion of the dough with your wet fingers (the water will prevent your fingers from sticking to the dough): Get it as thin and wide as you can as you stretch it. I stretch mine so each noodle is 2 inches wide and
   ⅛ inch thick. (The length isn’t important as long as the noodles are thin.) Tear the noodle from the dough ball and drop it into the boiling soup. Repeat with the remaining dough, working quickly. Cover the pot and cook until the noodles are tender and float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the scallion and sesame oil. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve immediately.