Naengmyeon, Korean style spicy cold noodles

There is no place like home…

There is no place like home…

Shopping in the narrow antique allies of Korea, eating loads of fabulous Korean food, camping in the Rocky mountains of Colorado, riding horse, fishing rainbow trouts, hang-out with families…, these are some of the wonderful things I had this past summer.

I spent very good time both in Korea and U.S last month, but no matter how much fun I have in any exciting places, I always recite the same praise at the end of the trips, ‘there is no place like home’. I am happy to be back home, my sweet home!

Upon my return from the summer break I would like to treat you with a very cool summer noodle dish of Korea; “Naengmyeon“, the Korean Cold Noodles.

There are two kinds. One with spicy sauce that you mix together (Bibim Naengmyeon), and the other one with icy broth (Mool Naengmyeon). They both are popular noodles to be eaten during hot summer season in Korea.

Today I am going to share with you the Bibim Naengmyeon.

 

This is Korean Naengmyeon (somewhat similar to soba). These noodles are made with buckwheat flour. However, they are not solely made with 100% buckwheat though. They will have some wheat flour added, because noodles made with only buckwheat will break so easily (They won’t hold their shape).  Korean buckwheaat noodles contains more of sweet potato starch and wheat flour than Japanese soba, which creates chewier texture to the bite.

Although buckwheat is gluten free, if you are looking for gluten free buckwheat noodles, read the ingredients on the package just to make sure. Not every buckwheat noodle is created equal.

The color varies depends on types of buckwheat as well. The darker the color, the more of outer skin of buckwheat are used.

 

There is nothing that can be disappointing than having bad Naengmyeon with terrible sauce. Good Korean Naengmyeon has to comes with good sauce. I will share with you a wonderful recipe.

Don’t be scared by the list of all the ingredients. You can whip up this sauce quite fast, but it needs to be prepared ahead of time to chill, 1-2 days ahead, so that the flavor will incorporate and mature.

Get ready for the spicy paradise!!!  This is how Koreans fight the heat of scorching summer.

 

These devoted crew are ready to work. Pineapple (either fresh or canned), vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, brown sugar, Korean chili flakes, Dijon mustard (or Korean mustard), onion, powdered ginger, garlic, and apple.

 

First, mix 1/2 cup water with 1/4 cup soy sauce and bring to quick boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

 

Dice apple, onion, and pineapple. I used fresh pineapple but you can use canned. You only need about 3 slices. Dice a piece of garlic, too.

 

Put them in a blender and process until velvety smooth. You can add a little bit of water or pineapple juice (if using canned) to help blending.

 

Return to your soy sauce in a pot, add the fruit mixture, chili flakes, sugar and other sauce ingredients.

 

Mix well, Maxwell.

Add more water or pineapple juice if you prefer thinner consistency.

 

Don’t forget to sprinkle some of my love.., the toasted sesame seeds.

Now transfer the sauce in a container and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours to mature. 1-2 days will be more desirable. This sauce can last in the fridge for couple of month. You can use it to any type of noodles, or even use in spicy Korean vegetable salads. I made cucumber salad with this sauce and it tasted awesome.

 

Let’s move on to make quick topping for our noodles.

Peel off the radish.

 

Cut off about 2″ long and slice as thin as your human capability allows you. Thinner than 1/8″ if you can…

 

Add 1 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp vinegar to the radish slices and toss well. Set aside for 20-30 minutes to wilt. We are making a quick radish pickle.

 

Rinse with water briefly…

 

and squeeze out gently to remove the water. Set aside.

 

Cut a cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape off the seeds in the center with a spoon.

 

Slice diagonally about 1/8″ thin. Set aside.

 

Boil water and add the Naengmyeon noodles.

 

Cook for 4 minutes or follow the package direction for the cooking time. You will see the water becomes very cloudy. You want to stir the noodles often so that they don’t stick together.

 

Rinse your noodles in the cold water. Ice water is even better. Rinse until you don’t see any more starch water coming out from the noodles.

 

Place noodles in a large bowl and top with sauce, about 2-3 tablespoonful.

 

Top with the radish, cucumber, and boiled egg sliced in half.

To eat, just mix well. But in order to mix well, this is what we do in Korea.

 

Cut noodles 2-3 times with a pair of scissor. That way it is easy to mix and won’t choke you with a long strand of noodle as you eat.

 

Some people like to add couple of ice cubes in a bowl to keep the noodles cold. But it can dilute the sauce as you eat.

 

Hmmm…

Spicy? Duh!

Beat the summer heat with the heat; So spicy hot that you will forget how hot it is outside.

Gotta love the Korean way of keeping up with the summer…

Hope your summer is going as fun as it can be.