Naengmyeon (mul)
Mul naengmyeon is a cold noodle dish, served in an ice-cold broth. It is one of the few well-known Korean dishes that originates from North Korea (for obvious reasons, most Korean dishes come from South Korea). It is so incredibly refreshing (this is amazing on a hot summer day, or alongside heavy dishes like kbbq or kalbijim), and the vinegar + hot mustard paste that it's often served with really elevates it to another level. Hmart sells pre-packaged mul naengmyeon already with the broth, which makes this one of the easiest dishes possible, but you could of course also make the broth from scratch, which isn't too difficult either.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients
> naengmyeon noodles
> egg (1, hard-boiled)
> radish kimchi
> Kirby cucumber
> Korean pair (optional)
> beef broth
> beef slices
> vinegar
> hot mustard paste
Instructions
If not using prepared beef broth:
1. In a large pot, cook beef (1/2 lb), onion (1/2), scallions (2 large, white parts), garlic (6 cloves), ginger (3 thin slices), peppercorns (1/2 tsp). Bring it to a boil with 14 cups of water. Reduce the heat to medium / medium low to keep it at a medium boil, and skim off the scum. Continue to boil, covered, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Stir in soy sauce (2 tbsp) with 10m remaining. Remove the meat and cool. Discard the vegetables. Cool completely.
Everything else:
1. Boil the naengmyeon noodles according to the package directions. Once cooked, immediately drain + rinse under cold water until cool and any starch on the surface is removed.
2. Cut the Korean pair, cucumber, and beef into strips / half-moon shapes.
3. Putting everything together: arrange a mound of naengmyeon noodles in the center of a bowl. Pour some broth into the bowl. Top with sliced cucumber, sliced pair, sliced beef, and (quartered) hard-boiled egg.
4. Add vinegar + hot mustard paste to taste. Mix and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> For the beef broth, DO NOT use the beef broth that typically would come in the "soups / broths" section of a supermarket -- that typically has a bunch of other flavorings like onion / celery / carrot / bay leaf / etc. Some naengmyeon noodle packs will come with prepared broth that you can use directly; otherwise use the directions above.
> Korean-style hot mustard paste has a flavor that's more similar to horseradish than your typical mustard, so definitely don't substitute western mustards for it.
> Restaurants will often serve the broth with some ice cubes inside to keep everything ice cold and maximize the refreshment from the dish.
> It can be helpful to prepare a bunch of the broth + beef in advance, freeze it, and pull out some whenever you need it.