Mul-naengmyeon (buckwheat noodles in chilled broth)

Mul-naengmyeon. (Institute of Traditional Korean Food)

Mul-naengmyeon is a dish of buckwheat noodles in chilled broth that is garnished with radish kimchi, pickled cucumber, Korean pear and slices of pressed beef. Originally it was served covered in the winter with a thin layer of ice over it, but nowadays people enjoy this dish year-round.

Ingredients
400 g buckwheat noodles (dried), 15 cups water

300 g beef (brisket/shank), 8 cups water

Fragrant seasoning: 20 g green onion, 20 g garlic

Seasoning sauce: 1/2 tbsp clear soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp fermented mustard

50 g cucumber, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp water

170 g radish, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp fine ground red pepper

1/5 ea pear, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp sugar,

2 eggs, 1 kg water, 1 tsp salt

1 tbsp pine nuts, 0.5 g shred red pepper

1. Clean the beef and wash the fragrant seasoning.

2. Put the beef and water in the pot, and heat it up for 10 min on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, simmer for 1 hour, add green onion and garlic, simmer for another 30 min (1 kg).

3. Take the beef (300 g) out from the broth, slice it into pieces 4 cm-wide, 2 cm-long and 0.2 cm-thick. After the broth cools down, skim the fat and season with seasoning sauce.

4. Wash the cucumber and halve lengthwise, slice at intervals of 0.2 cm-thick diagonally, soak it in salt water for 20 min, then remove and dry (43 g).

5. Shred the radish into 5 cm-long, 2 cm-wide and 0.2 cm-thick, marinate with salt, sugar, vinegar and fine ground red pepper for 20 min (100 g). Peel the pear, cut it into a half-moon shape, dip in sugar water (70 g).

6. Remove the tops of the pine nuts, wipe the nuts with dry. Cut the red pepper into shredded pieces 2~3 cm in length.

7. Put the eggs, water and salt in the pot, heat it up for 5 min. on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, boil for another 12 min. Take out the eggs, put in cold water, then peel the eggshells and cut into two pieces.

8. Pour water in the pot, heat it up for 12 min. on high heat. When it boils, add noodles, boil for 2 min. Take the noodles out from the pot, wash in cold water by rubbing, make coils with noodles and drain in a strainer (830 g).

9. Place the noodles in a bowl, garnish with beef, cucumber, radish, egg, pear, pine nuts and shredded red pepper, then pour the cold broth over.


Tips
Cold radish, pickled kimchi juice in the beef broth, or just kimchi juice may be another choice for the broth.

In summer, young summer radish kimchi may be a tasteful broth.

More fermented mustard and/or more vinegar in the dish is an option.

(Adapted from the Institute of Traditional Korean Food)