Asian Noodle Dishes from Around Springfield

Glass Noodles from Corner 21

Noodle quality can make or break a dish, and even the best sauce can’t save a stale batch. But at Corner 21 Chinese Cuisine (1369 E. Sunshine St., Springfield, MO), you can come expecting the same consistently fresh quality each time because all the noodles are made in-house. This an impressive feat considering the bustling nature of both their original post on Sunshine Street and the newly opened location on Republic Road.

Cold Asian noodle dishes aren’t quite as easy to come by in southwest Missouri, which is why we often find ourselves gravitating toward the glass noodles with sesame sauce when we visit Corner 21. This refreshing dish reminds us a bit of a deconstructed spring roll but with extra wide and flat noodles made from mung beans. The colorful veggie strips add a nice crunch to each mouthful of noodles, while the herbs and sesame sauce with a modest hint of chili oil and vinegar bring the flavor. This dish travels well to-go and only takes the kitchen a few minutes to whip up, meaning it’s a great lunch option.

If you prefer your glass noodles warmer than room temp, you’ll want to turn your attention to the braised pork belly dish, which shows off similar but slightly narrower glass noodles. Stir-fry noodles and beef brisket noodle soup are also on the menu, and both feature a more robust, thick wheat noodle that you’ll love sinking your teeth into.

Jiapeng Lu and Yuming Han opened Corner 21 in April 2021. The two had a mutual friend who introduced them, and they bonded over their love of authentic Chinese food. Lu, who is from northeastern China, says his own struggle to find authentic Chinese food drove his desire to open the restaurant.

About half of the dishes at Corner 21 are like what you would find in his hometown in the Liaoning province, and the Sichuan region is another area from which they heavily draw inspiration.

“Over here, people mainly know about cashew chicken, but that’s not Chinese food,” Lu says. “American Chinese food is not the same as Chinese food.”

You won’t find anything close to cashew chicken on the menu, which is a bold move that has served Lu and Han well. The success of Corner 21 is a testimony to the adventurous nature of our local diners, even if Springfield-classic cashew chicken will always have its place as a staple in our region.

“There are no other restaurants [in Springfield] that serve the same things as us,” Lu says. “We just wanted to do something special.”

Take a lot at our roundup of Chinese-style noodles from Springfield restaurants.

Korean Noodles at Hangang Korean Kitchen

Hangang Korean Kitchen is the true definition of a hidden gem. Housed within Sushi Village in southwest Springfield, the restaurant’s menu is a reflection of owners Seongyeon Kim and Daehan Park’s love for cooking and their entrepreneurial spirits.

Once you make your way to your seat of choice (we love dining under the canopy of faux cherry blossom branches), you’ll be in for a pretty immediate treat. Before you even start on the noodles, your meal will kick off strong with a made-in-house miso soup. Rather than a water base, this starter is made with a vegetable-based broth that they make with ingredients like yellow onions and large daikon radishes. After your palate is prepped, it’s time for the main course.

One extra satisfying dish from Hangang to add to your noodle bucket list is the jajangmyeon. Don’t judge this popular Korean dish based solely on looks. Despite its monochromatic appearance, it’s extremely flavorful. Underneath the black bean sauce lies a medley of shrimp, scallops and calamari sitting atop a bed of extra thick and chewy udon noodles. Each bite offers so much for your taste buds to absorb. The savory yet slightly sweet black bean sauce softens the umami kick from the fish while the chewy noodles certainly keep your jaws in motion.

One of Kim’s favorite noodle dishes on the menu is the Korean chop suey, which she says is often served on special occasions in South Korea like weddings and milestone birthdays. It’s a glass noodle dish made from sweet potatoes. The sauce has a sesame oil base with a dash of Hondashi, a Japanese seasoning made with bonito flakes. It comes with stir-fried vegetables, but you’ll definitely want to add on a delicious topping of beef bulgogi to help this dish stick.

Several entrees come with banchan, which are Korean side dishes. These cold side dishes are for you to enjoy in between bites of your main course. Spicy kimchi, sweet pickled beets and spicy pickled cucumbers are the three staple side dishes, but sometimes they’ll throw in a surprise one like a yellow radish.

Kim and Park are both from a small city near Seoul and came to America in 2001 after hearing about the opportunities of living here. Their careers and family flourished after the move. The couple opened two other restaurants in different towns before bringing Sushi Village to Springfield in 2012, all while raising their daughter, who just graduated from Harvard Law School this past May.

It’s evident that connecting with customers is one of Kim’s favorite parts of the job, and she even loves taking photos of her regulars to display. With how much we adore the jajangmyeon and Korean chop suey alike here, you might just catch us going up on the wall soon.

Take a look at our roundup of where to eat Korean-style noodles in Springfield.

Ramen at Karai Ramen + Hand Roll

Every Thursday like clockwork, ramen noodles imported straight from California come in fresh off the delivery truck at Karai Ramen + Handroll (640 W. Republic Rd. ste100, Springfield, MO). These high-quality ramen noodles are thick, perfectly chewy, and a far cry from what you’d typically find in a packet of instant ramen.

Of course, we wouldn’t expect anything less from a concept by John and Young Jun and John Jung, who also own Ariake Sushi & Robata and Haruno Japanese Sushi Bar & Grill. John and Young opened Karai in 2018 because, at the time, they had yet to find any local places that specialized in authentic Japanese-style ramen or Japanese soul food.

“We usually think of ramen as instant [ramen] or that it’s a simple food, but real ramen is never simple,” Young says. Quality noodles aside, the broth is another important component of truly good ramen. They make the tonkatsu broth in-house using bones from Circle B Ranch. Overall, the process of making just one batch of this bone broth takes 24 hours.

When you turn your attention to the house ramen section of the menu, you’ll notice seven options to choose from with either tonkatsu, chicken or vegetable broth. If you’re feeling stuck, you honestly can’t go wrong with Karai’s signature ramen with pork. Each option already comes with delicious toppings, but you can order as many add-ons as your heart desires.

Through each bowl Karai serves, Young hopes to break the stereotype of ramen being an unhealthy option. She notes that Karai’s ramen is a great meal for a sick day, or even to cure a hangover. In fact, they named one of their newest house ramen offerings John’s Hangover Ramen. Each ramen dish travels well. When you place a to-go order, they separate your noodles and add-ins from the broth, so it all stays super fresh.

But if you’re not ordering your ramen as a cure for a cold or hangover, you definitely will want to enjoy your meal inside since it’s so cozy and inviting. Young earned a fine art degree from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, and later worked as an interior designer for LG. She handled the interior design for Karai, as well as for Ariake and Haruno.

Being a restaurateur combines all of Young’s favorite things. “This is our passion,” Young says. “I love people. I love food and love running the restaurant.”

Check out more Japanese-style ramen and noodle dishes from Springfield restaurants.

Rice Noodles from Phở Kim

The noodle specialty at Phở Kim in Springfield (3433 S. Campbell Ave. # C, Springfield, MO) is, you guessed it, undoubtedly the phở. Inside your steamy bowl, oodles of rice noodles gather under a generous layer of broth, bean sprouts and fresh herbs.

Preparing the broth itself is an intensive labor of love that owner Kim Mai takes very seriously. She makes the bone marrow broth in-house using a process that requires hours of care and attention and fills it with aromatic herbs and seasonings that add rich flavors and depth to every bowl.

The Phở Gà, which is the chicken phở, is definitely a standout dish, but it’s hard to go wrong with any meat and broth base you choose. Your meal comes with your choice of herbs like basil and cilantro, which arrive to you fresh on a separate plate next to bean sprouts, lime and jalapeños. It’s sort of a build-your-own experience where you get to decide the perfect ratio of herbal, acidic and spicy flavor profiles.

Between the bone marrow broth, naturally gluten-free noodles and bright flavors, Mai’s Phở is a nutrient-dense meal that will leave you feeling revitalized on a cold fall or winter’s day. However, she notes this dish is meant to be enjoyed year-round, so don’t sleep on it in the summer when the fresh herbs are at their prime.

Phở is not the only thing owner Mai serves. Aside from bánh mì, spring rolls and rice dishes, her specialties are also good conversation and thoughtful compliments. When she’s not in the kitchen tending to the broth, she’s out on the floor chatting it up with guests. She has an impeccable memory, so don’t be surprised if she recalls you after just a couple of visits. “I like to talk to people,” Mai says. “I like to hear from them—I feel like it makes my life better.”

Much of the menu draws inspiration from the foods Mai’s mother taught her to make back home in South Vietnam. Mai and her husband sought political asylum in Springfield in 1994 through the Humanitarian Operation (HO) program with the help of Jean Elert at Southminster Presbyterian Church. Before opening Phở Kim in 2014, she raised her three sons, worked as a beautician and later owned an alterations business. Aside from being a mother, her main passion has always been cooking, so owning this restaurant has been a dream come true. “I make [the food] by hand, but I cook by my heart,” Mai says.

Find more Vietnamese noodles at these Springfield restaurants.