Korean recipes:

Naengmyeon (cold noodles)

Naengmyeon (“cold noodles”) is made from buckwheat and a very popular dish in Korea all year round but especially in summertime. I’m going to introduce you to 2 kinds of naengmyeon: mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon, both using yeolmu mul kimchi using a recipe from my previous video.

Mul naengmyeon is soup based noodles which is served with cold icy broth.

Bibim naengmyeon is served with hot and spicy sauce and not much soup.

Naengmyeon is my favorite food. I enjoy the texture of noodles while chewing it. After eating icy cold noodles in the hot summer day, you will feel your body temperature cools down.

INGREDIENTS:

(2 servings)

1. Make stock by boiling 8 cups of water, 3-4 shiitake mushrooms, dried kelp, and 8-10 dried anchovies (You will see how to make this stock in my soon du bu video) and cool it down.

2. Prepare toppings for naengmyeon

  • Mustard powder:
    Mix 2 tbs of mustard powder and 1 tbs water and put it on warm place to ferment it.
    (I place it on the top of boiling stock)
  • Cucumber:
    Slice a quarter of cucumber thinly and sprinkle a pinch of salt, 1 ts of sugar, 1 ts of
    vinegar, and a pinch of hot pepper flakes and mix it and set it aside
  • Bosc pear:
    Slice a half pear thinly and soak it in water and add 1 ts sugar to protect it from
    changing color
  • Egg:
    Hardboil an egg, cut it in half, and set it aside

3. Make hot and spicy sauce for bibim naengmyeon, by grinding these ingredients:

A half of peeled bosc pear, a quarter of onion (about 3 tbs), 1 ts garlic, 1 ts of ginger, ½ cup of corn syrup, 4 tbs hot pepper flakes, 3 tbs hot pepper paste, ¼ cup of apple vinegar, 1 tbs sesame seeds, 3 green onions, 1 tbs soy sauce

Place the ground sauce into a container and add 1 tbs sesame oil and 1 ts of fermented mustard and mix it.

4. Make naengmyeon broth by mixing 1 cup of Yeolmu kimchi juice and 2 cups of stock.( you can add some vinegar or salt and sugar)

5. Boil the noodles:

  1. Put noodles into boiling water in a big pot (2/3 of the pot is filled with water). The direction of cooking noodles is on the back of the noodle package and it usually takes 3-4 minutes to boil after putting the noodles into the boiling water. You can take some sample to check if the noodles are cooked enough or not.
  2. When the noodles are cooked, move the pot into a kitchen sink and pour cold water and remove some water and pour cold water again. This process helps the noodles get chewier.
  3. Place the noodles into a basket or colander and keep rinsing and draining the noodles until all starch from the noodles are removed.

6. Serve it cold cold!

For mul naengmyeon:

  • Put some noodles into a serving bowl and fill the broth until the noodles are submerged.
  • Add crushed ice and place toppings: yeolmu kimchi, a few pieces of pear and cucumber, and a half side of boiled egg on top.
  • Add 1 ts of mustard

For bibimnaengmyeon:

  • Put some noodles into a serving bowl.
  • Add a half cup of icy broth
  • Place some hot and spicy sauce, yeolmu kimchi, a few pieces of pear and cucumber and a half side of boiled egg on top.
  • Add some more sesame oil if you want.

45 Comments

  1. Marisa says:

    Hi Maangchi!
    I just watched your video and the bibimnaengmyeon looks soooo tasty!
    Now I’m asking myself a stupid question: can you do the red sauce without a grinder? Because I don’t have one!
    also, can you skip the corn syrup?

  2. Maangchi says:

    marisa,
    yes, if you don’t have a food processor, chop all ingredients as finely as you can. No problem.
    And also if you don’t have corn syrup or don’t like corn syrup, you can use sugar or more pear.

  3. Anonymous says:

    hello, i have a question. If you want to make 6 servings. can we just triple the ingredients and water? im planning to make food for 6 ppl. or should i make 2 at a time? =] thank you very much.

  4. Maangchi says:

    Hi, Anonymous,

    For 6 servings, double or triple ingredients.

    I still have some leftover red sauce in the refrigerator. The leftover sauce can be used for a long time.

    Don’t forget to use a lot of water when you boil the noodles.

    Good luck with your making naengmyeon!

  5. CUB says:

    Welcome back Maangchi! My Dad just came home after a trip and brought back a lot of quince. Do you have any suggestions for using them up? Thanks.

  6. Maangchi says:

    CUB,
    I have never had quince in my life so far, so I can’t give you any recipe. Thank you for asking me anyway.

  7. Vickie says:

    Looks so yummy!

  8. Koona7 says:

    Welcome back! I cannot believe you had the enrgy to shoot the video right after you came back from your trip! No jet lag? I love naengmyeon but I’ve never tried making it. I’ll try your recipe. Looks so good! By the way, where do you get your Korean groceries? I live in toronto and looking for a good Korean supermarket. Thanks:)

  9. Anonymous says:

    Hello Maangchi,

    There is a Korean market that is opening up call Hmart. Will you be going to it? The websit is http://www.Hmart.com We have one here that just open a couple of days ago. I can’t wait to check it out in a couple of days!

  10. Maangchi says:

    Hello, koona 7 and anonymous,

    koona7,
    I go to the korean grocery store in downtown called PAT near christie subway.

    Anonymous,
    Yes, I know the Hmart. I will check the link

    thank you!

  11. UKguy says:

    우연하게 방문하였습니다.
    정말 맛있게 보이는 냉면만드는법 잘 보고 갑니다.(프로의 손길이 마구마구 느껴집니다 ^^)

    앞으로 종종 들려서 요리좀 배우고 가겠습니다.

    즐거운 하루 되세요~

  12. Maangchi says:

    UK guy,
    Thank you very much for your compliment!

  13. Anonymous says:

    Hi Maangchi..
    I came across your website today..I think I watched more than half..I was in Busan..Last year and I had this soup and it was sooo good..but I forgot the name..thank you for posting this video now I can make at home..I’m half Japanese..but I just love Korean food..
    Dale

  14. Maangchi says:

    Dale,
    Welcome to my blog. If you have any questions about the recipe, ask me please.

  15. Maria says:

    Nice to meet you Maangchi, and your fantastic blog too! I´m writing from Venezuela (South America). Unfortunately there is only one Korean restaurant here. We LOVE korean food, specially Naengmyeon (Mr. Kim, from the restaurant, told me he adds peanut sauce ¿?). With your wonderful recipes, tomorrow I´ll surprise my son, who will be visiting from another town. Hope I find all the ingredients… Thank you very much for being there! =)

  16. kEiGh says:

    hi Maangchi,

    Can I ask you a favor? Can you make the dish called Kong guk su (if I’m not mistaken), because the last time that i went to Korea I totally fell deeply in love with that dish, and I really hope you can help me with this..

    And another one, do you know what kind(names) of ingredients are usually used in making pat bing soo??

  17. Maangchi says:

    kEiGh
    yes, kongguksu (콩국수): cold noodle soup made with soybeans!

    I was going to post the recipe before summer finishes this year, but I can’t promise to post it soon. Let’s see. I have so many korean dishes requested by other people. : )

    potbingsu ingredients depend on your taste.
    I use redbeans, ice (ice shaver needed), sugar, milk, small sweet rice cake cubes, fruits (strawberry, pineapple…) and cherry on top.

  18. Ling says:

    hi maangchi,

    I have one question about the bibimnaengmyeon, how spicy is the sauce? Because I want to try it but I just don’t know how spicy the sauce is……

  19. Maangchi says:

    Ling,
    If you are not accustomed to hot spicy food, it will be spicy. I recommend putting just a little bit of the sauce in your bibimnaengmyun and see if you can handle the spiciness or not. Careful! : )

  20. jenny says:

    Hi Maangchi,can skip yeolmu kimchi for this recipe ? i hv all ingredients now except yeolmu kimchi.thx

  21. Maangchi says:

    jenny,
    If you don’t have yeolmu kimchi. I suggest making pickled radish. Slice it thinly by following the same direction for cucumber in this recipe. Don’t discard the liquid coming out from radish and cucumber and use it.

  22. Nancy says:

    Hey Maangchi!!! lolz its a hot day here in San Francisco CA so i thought y not make some cold noodle : ) ill tell u how it turns out ; )

  23. Maangchi says:

    Nancy,
    oh, yeah? Here in New York is getting cold! I feel like having hot noodle soup instead of cold noodles. : )

  24. Nancy says:

    i just made the cold noodles lolz it was sooo goooddd i kinda cheated tho lolz i bought already made radish kimchee lolz

  25. Xinube says:

    Hey maangchi remember me? the brazilian teenager from youtube?
    Well, i was seriously thinking about making bibim naeng myun, i already bought the buckwheat noodles(altought it is VERY short compared to yours) but i’m a little concerned… i dont have all the ingredients but looking the commentaries i saw that its possible to change some of them, could you tell me if it is possible to make bibim naeng myun with these “settings”:
    - Short buckwheat noodles (yeah, i know, thats not a big deal)
    - use radish instead of mustard powder
    - more pear/sugar instead of corn syrup
    - can i make it without the icy broth?
    You see, i think its strange because all the korean restaurants i went they put radish and i dont know if they use this broth, but the sauce looks watery, altought its 100% red…
    help! :)
    thx

  26. Xinube says:

    ok ok, maybe i overreacted but can i change the broth? or make it differently? with other ingredients?

  27. Anna says:

    Wow! How is it possible that I haven’t found your website earlier? ^_~ You are doing a great job, thank you!
    Greetings from Poland.

  28. Suzi ^^ says:

    hii im korean teenager living in london!
    I LOVE BIBIMNAENGMYUN AHHH!
    i always tell my mum to buy naengmyun(noodles) but wee can’t find any.. ohwell.
    i went to korea last year to visit family and we also visited jeju island(sashimi is great) and nampodong last summer. In nampodong i ate SO MUCH bibimnaengmyun and then mandoo and then i asked my parents if we can go and eat some more bibimnaengmyun because we never eat it in england. hehe
    thanks for recipe i am going to nag my mum to make some.. :)
    yummy
    ^^ x

  29. Anonymous says:

    Hi Maangchi,
    I just wanted to say my mom used to make mul naengmyun for my brother and I as children. Last time she made it was when my husband and I were dating 2 years ago and he absolutly loved it. I was afraid to try to make it for him. Knowing the fact my mother made it for us I was afraid I was going to mess up somehow. Anyways your video on how to make is helpful. Now I will try to make it for him and his 2 brothers and his mom. Thank you Maangchi.

  30. Maangchi says:

    Xinube
    I hope your cold noodles turned out good, sorry about late reply. I am just reading your message now.

    Anonymous,
    You will be able to make delicious naengmyun if you follow my recipe! Of course I couldn’t compete your mom’s naengmyun! Mom’s food is always the best in the world, right?

  31. gautam says:

    Dear M,

    You are just incredible! Great personality, I admire people with excellent technique, plus your neatness & cleanliness. No chance of your cloning yourself in the near future, is there?!! Be well.

    Your #1 Admirer.

    P.S.:

    1)What is the origin of corn syrup in Korean cooking? Was amazake-type NATURAL rice syrup or SORGHUM syrup used before that? Given the high glycemic index of High Fructose Corn Syrup & its less-healthful reputation compared to honey, amazake, agave nectar, sugarcane golden syrup like Tate & Lyle brand or Steens of Louisiana, unsulfured molasses, sorghum syrup, B& C grade maple syrup,

    would you please consider experimenting with some of the above, and where possible, reducing part of the white sugar & corn sugar in your recipes? Sometimes, a more complex, even better, taste might result!

    2) Korean/Asian pear is very expensive or not available in many areas. For marinades, could you please experiment with BOSC & other Western pears, +/-apples, to suggest if they work almost as well or not at all, according to your judgment?

    Thank You.

  32. Maangchi says:

    gautam,

    Thank you very much for your informative comments and suggestion. Wonderful!

  33. Christina says:

    Hi Maangchi - Can I use the instant dashi in place of the anchovies for making the soup stock?

    Thanks!

  34. Jeff says:

    I just went to Atlanta today and ordered this. Now that I know the recipe is here, I can make this all I want? What god did I please?

  35. evelyn says:

    Hi maangchi,
    cos of not easy to get young radish for making the
    yeolmu kimchi. Can show more ingredientd details to subsitute this For bibimnaengmyeon?
    Thanks in advance!!!!

    rgds,
    evelyn

  36. Chichi says:

    Can I leave out the mustard part? since I am not a fan of mustard. Thank you,

  37. Rayna says:

    I dont wish to waste the balance mustard powder if I can only eat with Naengmyeon. As I dont eat Naengmyeon everyday. Is there any thing that can replace mustard powder? Is it a necessary ingredient in this noodle dish? What can I do with the balance mustard powder.

  38. Anonymous says:

    I have to make Yeolmu Kimchi inorder to get the juice for the Naengmyeon. I’m from Singapore. There is no young radish vegetables available. Is there anything that can replace this?

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