Mul-Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles in Broth)
cold buckwheat noodles in iced beef broth
Ingredients
- 500 g Beef Stock
- 20 g Rice Vinegar
- 13 g White Sugar
- 8 g Soy Sauce
- 3 g Salt
- 100 g Naengmyeon Noodles
Method
- Broth: Use a good cold beef stock, ideally one simmered with brisket to provide the meat for the top. Chill it fully and skim the set fat, then season with the soy sauce, sugar, salt, and most of the vinegar; it should taste sharply tangy and lightly sweet, a touch stronger than seems right since the ice mutes it. Freeze to a slush, ~2 h, or chill hard and add ice at serving. A splash of dongchimi (radish-water kimchi) brine deepens it the traditional way.
- Noodles: Boil the naengmyeon in plenty of unsalted water to the packet time, usually 2–4 min. Rinse hard under cold running water, scrubbing off the surface starch until the strands squeak and turn ice-cold, then drain well and coil into a bowl.
- Assemble: Pour the slushy broth around the noodles. Lay the brisket, cucumber, and pear on top with half a boiled egg. Serve hot mustard and extra vinegar at the table, and eat at once while everything is icy.
Notes
The broth-based ("mul") naengmyeon; the sauced, brothless version is bibim-naengmyeon.