Classic Korean Summer Cold Noodle Dish: Mul NaengMyeon 물냉면- Modern Pepper Video #29
If you want to learn (OR simply watch) HOW TO MAKE Mul-NaengMyeon (also spelled Mul NaengMyun) at HOME, you came to the right place!
This is a CLASSIC KOREAN SUMMER NOODLE DISH. Mul-Naengmyeon 물냉면 is a COLD NOODLE DISH served in a COLD BROTH with slushy pieces of broth floating on top. This dish is not only satisfying and filling, but it will leave you feeling completely rescued from the horrid summer heat...:-)
This Mul NaengMyeon Video Recipe Includes: - How To Shop For Korean NaengMyeon Noodles (a brief overview variety of different NaengMyeon Noodles, including frozen fresh noodles vs. dried noodles)
- How To Properly Cook and Rinse NaengMyeon Noodles - Simple Cooking Option To Make NaengMyeon at home. - How To Make Cold Broth From Scratch (Beef Bone Broth 사골육수) - How To Make Cold Broth (Vegetarian Broth Option) using DongChiMi (동치미) juice - How To Make Slushy Broth - How To Make Thinly Sliced Beef Brisket To Serve w/ Mul NaengMyeon - How To Make The Fixings For Mul NaengMyeon (julienned cucumbers, hardboiled egg, vinegary radish pickles, and Korean pear) - How To Properly Enjoy/Consume Mul NaengMyeon With Its Fixings and Condiments.
You will find the following sections on this blog below: - Detailed list of all the ingredients
- YouTube Video For This Recipe
- Online links to purchase the ingredients and suggested kitchen gadgets for this recipe. - Recipe Instructions - List of Korean markets in the San Francisco Bay Area
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Thanks for watching!
Helen
INGREDIENTS
(Serving Size: 1 Adult)
- 1 Serving Size of NaengMyeon Noodles (please defer to the noodle packing for its serving size)
To Make The Pickled Sliced Korean Radish:
- 2 inch thick cut of Korean radish (substitution option: 2 Kirby Cucumbers)
- 1 Tbsp Korean coarse brining salt
- 1 Tbsp Brown Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Korean red pepper flakes
- (optional: 1/2 Tsp sugar)
To Make The Beef Bone Broth (사골육수)
- 4 Med-Large Pieces Beef Bone Marrow
- 2 pieces beef short ribs (with little meat on the bone)
- 10 cups water
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp Dashida (Korean beef bouillon powder)
- 1 fresh garlic clove (skin peeled)
- 2 slices of fresh Korean radish (less than 1/2" thick)
- 1 stalk of green scallion
- 4 to 6 whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tsp Kosher salt (to taste)
For Vegetarian Broth Option
- 2 cups of Korean "white kimchi/radish pickles" (DongChiMi 동치미) juice
Fixings For The Noodle Dish
- 6 to 8 pieces of julienned Kirby cucumbers (substitution option: Persian cucumbers)
- 1/2 hardboiled egg
- 1 slice of Korean pear (substitution option: Bosc pear)
- Less than 1/2 Beef Brisket
Optional Condiments
- Brown Rice Vinegar (or any mild vinegar)
- Korean hot mustard
YouTube Video Recipe #29: How To Make Korean Cold Noodle Soup (Mul-Naengmyeon 물냉면) & Icy Broth (사골육수)
Amazon.com Links For Ingredients & Suggested Kitchen Gadgets:
(CLICK on the Amzon.com links below to view the item, NOT the pictures!)
Choung Soo Mul Naengmyeon, Korean Cold Noodle with Soup Base
Korean Red Hot Chili Pepper Flakes Powder
Ohsawa Genuine Mirin, Organic Sweet Rice Seasoning Wine for Traditional Japanese Cuisine, Aged over 9 Months for Umami Flavor
Kikkoman Manjo Aji Mirin, 17 fl oz
Mizkan Pure Brown Rice Black Vinegar (Domestic Brown Rice 100%)
Dasida Beef Flavor Soup Stock
Natural Premium Sea Salt for Kimchi Brining: the Jewel of Sinan Island by Chung-Jung-One
Simply Organic Bay Leaf Certified Organic
Korean Sesame Seed Salt
Chung Jung One Korean Hot Mustard Paste
Spicy World Peppercorn (Whole)-Black Tellicherry
COLE & MASON Capstan Wood Pepper Grinder - Wooden Mill Includes Precision Mechanism, 12.5 inch
For Filtering The Fat From The Beef Broth: Piazza Chinois Strainer with Fine Mesh, 7-7/8-Inch 100% Made In Italy
9" Kitchen Fine Mesh Strainer with Sturdy Handle and Wider Hook
For Scooping Up The Fat Floating On Top Of The Beef Broth: Skimmer Spoon - Stainless Steel Fine Mesh Food Strainer
All-Clad 4204 with loop Stainless Steel Tri-Ply Bonded Dishwasher Safe Sauce Pan
Mixing Bowls: Duralex Made In France Lys Stackable 10-Piece Bowl Set
8 Quart, Set of 2, Mixing Bowls, Stainless Steel, Professional Chef, Commercial Kitchen
Foster (Goldage) 5-Pairs Fiberglass Dishwasher-safe Chopsticks
HuaLan Japanese Style Natural Wood Chopsticks Set Reusable Classic Style Chopsticks 5 Pairs
Clean Ones 513017 500 Count Disposable Poly Gloves
OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring Cup
Wusthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Wüsthof Twelve Piece Block Set
Wusthof Classic 7-piece Slim Knife Block Set
RECIPE INSTRUCTION
1. To Make The Pickled Sliced Korean Radish:
Cut off approximately 2 inches of the radish. Peel the skin/outer layer. Cut down the middle and thinly slice the radish (as shown in the video). Place the sliced radish and the sea salt in a mixing bowl. Mix the salt well to ensure that every slice of the radish is in contact with the salt. Let it rest for 30 minutes on your kitchen counter. You'll notice that a lot of the radish liquid has been drained. Now, rinse the radish slices under running cold water. Wash 3 to 4 times to thoroughly remove the salt. After the rinse, place all the radish slices in your palm and using the other palm, gently squeeze out the excess water. (Now, taste a slice. It should be slightly salty. If too salty, rinse again in the cold water.) . Then place the radish slices in a mixing bowl, add the vinegar and red pepper flakes. Mix gently with your hands. You can prepare this a day in advance OR enjoy it immediately. Just place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to consume.
OR the simple option is buying a jar of Korean "white kimchi/radish pickles" called DongChiMi (동치미) at your local Korean grocery store and taking a few pieces of the pickled radish and slicing it thinly and then add the rest of the ingredients listed.
2. To Make The Beef Bone Broth (사골육수)
(If you don't want to make this broth, just simply purchase the Frozen Mul NaengMyeon package that includes this Beef Bone Broth (사골육수). Just defrost the broth (only 2/3 so you can have a few chunks of the slushy broth) and enjoy!)
In a medium size pot (4 quart size pot is used in the video), add 10 cups of water and bring it to boil. Then add the beef bone marrows and beef short ribs to the pot. Close the lid, bring the stove heat to medium, and let it cook for 10 minutes. Remove all the bones and set aside. Throw away all the liquid and thoroughly rinse the pot. (This first batch of the liquid is to remove the excess blood, any impurities, and funky odor.) Refill the pot with 10 cups of water and bring to boil. Then add all the bones back in, cover with lid, bring the stove heat to low, and let it simmer for 1.5 hours. Then, add the radish, scallion, garlic, mirin, peppercorns, bay leaf, and beef brisket to the pot. Cover with lid and let it simmer at low heat for 30 minutes. Then add the Dashida and salt to season the broth. Remember, this broth is suppose to be "refreshing" so do not make the broth too salty. The saltiness should be a subtle taste.
In a large stainless steel mixing bowl, pour the liquid, including the bones and brisket. You can discard the vegetables from the broth, but I just eat it as a snack. Let the liquid come to room temperature. Once it comes to room temperature, cover with foil or saran wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 12 hours/overnight OR until you can see all the fat on top. Once the fat has harden on top, using a mesh strainer spoon, remove all the fat. Remove the bones and discard. Set the brisket aside (in the refrigerator if you plan to consume the noodles later.) . Then using a large extra fine mesh strainer (with a large bowl under it), pour the broth through the strainer. This second straining process is to remove all the fat and seasoning pieces in the broth. Your beef bone broth for the Mul NaengMyeon is ready...YUM!
You can use this beef bone broth alone as your noodle broth OR you can add equal parts of this broth and Korean "white kimchi/radish pickles" called DongChiMi (동치미). Personally, the combination of these two liquids is my favorite....actually the ultimate way to enjoy Mul NaengMyeon...:-)
3. For Vegetarian Broth Option: Go to a local Korean grocery market and buy Korean "white kimchi/radish pickles" called DongChiMi (동치미). You can use the liquid from this as the noodle broth. DongChiMi is known for its refreshing taste and slight saltiness with a slight vinegary from its natural fermentation. OR the other simple option is to go buy the Frozen Mul NaengMyeon package that includes this DongChiMi (동치미) broth. Just defrost the broth (only 2/3 so you can have a few chunks of the slushy broth) and enjoy!
4. To Make The Slushy Broth
You need approximately 2 cups of broth per serving. Place the broth in a plastic container and cover with saran wrap and place it in the freezer. Depending on your freezer power, it can take any where from 10 to 60 minutes to create the slushy ice layer on top. We want this slushy ice layer on top to be no more than 2 inches. Just slightly frozen to easily break it up using a fork. So, just keep an eye on this broth cup in the freezer.
5. Fixings For The Noodle Dish
It is critical that all your fixings for Mul NaengMyeon is all ready before you start cooking the noodles. So, please have all the fixings ready (as shown in the video). When you cut the piece of the cooked beef brisket, slice the meat as thinly as possible. You only need about 4-6 thin slices of the brisket for 1 serving. But we needed to cook a large piece (less than 1/2 lb) of the brisket to ensure that the meat didn't curl up in the cooking process.
6. Cooking and Rinsing The Noodles
If you are using the frozen fresh noodles, make sure to defrost the frozen noodles in the refrigerator over night OR on your kitchen counter for 10 minutes with the noodles inside the plastic packing. Once the noodles defrosted, gently loosen up the noodle strands with your hands, making sure that there are no clumps of noodles that are stuck together (as shown in the video).
If you are cooking the noodles for more than 2 serving size, please use a pot larger than 4 quart-size. Noodles will always cook better when they are "swimming freely" in a large pot of boiling water, rather than being crowded in a small pot. If the noodles are cooked in a "crowded" pot with too much noodles than water/space, the noodles will end up cooking "slow" and lead to "bloated" or doughy noodles.
A 4 quart-size pot is used in the video. Add water about 2/3 (10 cups of water approximately) and bring it to boil. Then add Kosher salt to create a salt bath for the noodles. Just add some salt to make the water mildly salty, not too salty. Add the noodles, and stand over the pot and continually move the noodles around with your chopsticks. The stove top heat is remaining at high until you see the bubbles rising to the brim of the pot. When this happens, bring the stove heat down to low until the bubbles subside, and then bring the stove top heat back up to high. Approximately, 2 minutes late, take a strand of the noodles, blanch it in cold water and taste it. It should taste chewy but not that undercooked taste. Dried NaengMyeon noodles will take a bit longer (approximately 1 or 2 minute) to cook than the frozen fresh noodles.
Once the noodles are ready, quickly transfer to a large bowl of cold water and bring to your sink. With the cold water running, place the noodles in a large strainer and move the noodles around with your hands to bring down the hot temperature of the noodles. Then add the noodles into a bowl with cold water and move the noodles around and transfer back to the strainer with the cold water running on it. Repeat this process 2 to 3 times. Then place the back in the large bowl with cold water, and using the palm of your hands and fingers, gently rub the noodles to remove the excess starch. Then transfer to a large strainer and toss gently to remove the excess water (as shown in the video). Place a bunch of the noodles in your palm and using the other palm, gently squeeze out the excess water. This entire washing process should take no more than 1 to 1.5 minutes. Now your NaengMyeon Noodles are ready to be dressed up with all the fixings!
7. Place the noodles, centered high, in a large-wide bowl. Quickly add all the fixings to on top of your noodles. Now, grab the broth cup from the freezer and break up the slushy layer on top with a fork. Pour all the liquid around the base of the noodle.
8. NOW IT IS TIME TO ENJOY YOUR MUL NAENGMYEON!
Push all the fixings to the side of the bowl. Using your chopsticks, move the noodles around so it is coated in the broth. If you want, you can add some vinegar and/or Korean hot mustard (these two condiments are always served with Mul NaengMyeon), to taste, and mix well. Before you have a first bite of the noodles, pick up the bowl, using both hands, and taste the broth. Yes, this is a customary way to taste the broth, not tasting it using a spoon. If you like more vinegary taste or additional spiciness, add more of the vinegar and/or Korean hot mustard. Now, pick up the perfect bite of the noodles with pieces of the fixings, and start slurping! Yes, it is absolutely ok to slurp when having NaengMyeon, just don't splash others with the broth while slurping...:-) In between your bites of the noodles, remember to take bites of the Korean pear. The natural sweetness of the Korean pear will balance out the taste of the broth and the noodles in your mouth.
Now, if you haven't tried this, I highly suggest it. Take the yolk of the egg and break it up in the broth (as shown in the video) and incorporate the mashed up egg yolk to the rest of the broth. Taste the broth now. The broth, now, should taste kind of creamy and luxurious. Try it and maybe you might like it. According to my father in law, this is the North Korean way to enjoy Mul NaengMyeon. Mul NaengMyeon was absolutely his favorite! I hope he is having his favorite dish, to his heart's content, up in heaven.
KOREAN MARKETS IN THE BAY AREA
(Click on the hyperlinked names below)
San Francisco
Unlike the mom-and-pop Korean markets in San Francisco, the markets outside of SF are GIANT size Korean supermarkets.
- Oakland: KP Asian Market
- Daly City: Kukje Supermarket
- Sunnyvale: Hangook Supermarket
- San Jose: H Mart