Naengmyeon

Chilled Buckwheat Noodles (Naengmyeon)

A refreshing Korean summer dish of chewy buckwheat noodles in a tangy, icy beef broth, topped with crisp cucumber, sweet pear, and a hard-boiled egg.

Prep

30 min

Cook

60 min

Total

90 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef brisket, or chuck, for the broth; sliced thin for topping after cooking
• •1.5 L (6⅓ cups) water, for the broth
• •1 whole onion, halved, for the broth
• •4 cloves garlic, for the broth
• •5 cm (2 inches) ginger, peeled and sliced, for the broth
• •2 tbsp soy sauce, for seasoning the broth
• •1 tbsp rice vinegar, or white vinegar; for the broth
• •1 tbsp sugar, for the broth
• •1 tsp salt, for the broth, adjust to taste
• •1 tsp yellow mustard, optional, for the broth
• •400 g (14 oz) dried naengmyeon noodles, buckwheat noodles; or 600 g fresh
• •1 whole cucumber, julienned into thin strips
• •1 whole Korean pear, or any crisp pear; julienned
• •4 whole eggs, hard-boiled and halved
• •1 cup ice cubes, for serving
• •1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional, for garnish

Steps

1. 1 Make the broth: Place beef, water, onion, garlic, and ginger in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the beef is tender (a knife pierces easily). Remove the beef and set aside to cool; then slice thinly for topping. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids. Season the broth with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and mustard (if using). Taste and adjust – it should be tangy and salty. Chill the broth in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until thoroughly cold.
2. 2 While the broth simmers, hard-boil the eggs: place eggs in a saucepan of boiling water, cook for 7 minutes, then transfer to ice water to stop cooking. Peel and halve them.
3. 3 Cook the noodles: bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the naengmyeon noodles and cook according to package instructions (typically 3–5 minutes for dried, 1–2 minutes for fresh) until chewy but not soft. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles gently with your hands to remove excess starch. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear, then drain well.
4. 4 Prepare the toppings: julienne the cucumber and pear into thin, matchstick strips. Slice the cooked beef thinly.
5. 5 To serve: Divide the drained noodles equally among 4 large bowls. Pour the chilled broth over each portion. Top with cucumber, pear, beef slices, and two egg halves per bowl. Add ice cubes to each bowl to keep it very cold. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately, with extra vinegar and mustard on the side for diners to adjust flavor.