Spicy whelk salad with buckwheat noodles

"Chef Hooni Kim says this dish, inspired by the traditional Korean golbaengi muchim, is a summer dish, but I can have it any time of the year—or in any meal, for that matter! Soba noodles are tossed with cucumber, aromatics, and steamed whelk (a type of sea snail) in a sweet and savory dressing made of kochujang, rice vinegar, garlic, and johakuto sugar from Japan. Go at lunch time for the bigger portion sizes."