Mul Naeng Myun Recipe

Prepare and simmer beef broth

Place the beef brisket or shank in a large stockpot and cover with 2.5 liters (2500 ml) of cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam and impurities with a fine skimmer or spoon for the first 10 minutes to keep broth clear.

Add the whole peeled onion (halved if large), peeled and cut daikon, smashed garlic cloves, scallion stalks, and whole black peppercorns to the pot. Simmer gently, partially covered, for 1.5 to 2 hours until the beef is tender and the broth is flavorful.

Season the broth with 2 teaspoons kosher salt toward the end of simmering. Taste and adjust — the broth should be savory but not overly salty, because it will be diluted when chilled.

Remove the beef and set aside to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or another pot to remove solids and peppercorns. Press lightly on the solids to release juices, then discard solids.

Cool the strained broth quickly: first let it reach room temperature (about 30 minutes), then transfer to the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight. For a faster chill, place the broth container in an ice bath, then refrigerate.

Once chilled, skim off excess fat from the surface with a spoon. If the broth is too intense, dilute with up to 1,000 ml cold water to taste; the final broth should be clear, cold, and balanced. Adjust seasoning with more salt, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar if you want a mildly tangy-sweet profile typical of mul naengmyeon.

Add ice cubes to the broth just before serving to keep it icy cold (about 3 cups of ice per pot of broth; you can use crushed ice).

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the naengmyeon noodles and cook according to package directions, usually 2–4 minutes depending on thickness. Stir gently to prevent sticking and avoid overcooking — noodles should be chewy (al dente).

While the noodles cook, julienne the cucumber and thinly slice the Korean pear. Lightly salt the cucumber juliennes and let them sit 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture with a paper towel (this keeps the broth from watering down). Peel and halve the hard-boiled eggs.

When noodles are cooked, drain immediately and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking and to chill the noodles. For an extra-springy texture, plunge the noodles into an ice bath briefly (10–20 seconds) then drain thoroughly.

Prepare serving bowls: distribute the drained, chilled noodles evenly among 4 large deep bowls (about 100 g cooked noodles per serving).

Top each bowl of noodles with julienned cucumber, a few slices of Korean pear, half a hard-boiled egg, and a small spoonful of kimchi if using.

Pour the well-chilled beef broth over the noodles until the bowl is nearly full and the ingredients are submerged. Add a few ice cubes if desired to keep it extremely cold.

Serve with condiments: a small amount (about 1/2 tsp) of Korean mustard paste and 1/2 tsp chogochujang per bowl on the side, plus a drizzle of sesame oil. Diners can mix mustard and chogochujang into the broth or place on top of the egg and noodles to taste.

Optional: Provide additional rice vinegar and sugar at the table so diners can adjust acidity and sweetness to their preference.

While the broth chills, you can slice the cooled cooked beef thinly against the grain and reserve for plating on top of each bowl for added protein (about 120 g beef per serving if you want more meat). Season slices lightly with a pinch of salt.