Mul Naengmyeon 물냉면 Recipe

Prepare and blanch beef

Place the beef brisket or shank in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 5 minutes to remove impurities. Drain and rinse the beef under cold water; discard the blanching water and clean the pot.

Simmer clean broth

Return the blanched beef to the clean pot and add 2200 ml fresh water. Add the whole onion (peeled), 4 whole garlic cloves, sliced daikon radish, dried kelp, and dried anchovies. Bring to a simmer, skim foam, then reduce heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes until beef is tender and the broth is fragrant.

Season and cool broth

Remove beef and set aside to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof container, discarding solids. Stir in 2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp rice vinegar while still warm. Taste and adjust seasoning (should be lightly salted and slightly tangy). Chill the broth in the refrigerator until very cold (at least 2 hours) or place container in an ice bath to expedite cooling.

Freeze broth ice (optional)

For a properly icy bowl, pour about 1 cup of the finished broth into an ice cube tray and freeze, or have plenty of ice cubes ready to chill the serving broth later. Keep the remainder of the chilled broth cold until assembly.

Cook eggs

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently lower in 2 large eggs and boil for 7 minutes for a slightly set yolk (or 9 minutes for fully hard). Immediately transfer eggs to an ice bath to stop cooking. Peel and reserve chilled until serving; halved when ready to plate.

Slice beef

While broth cools, thinly slice the cooled cooked beef against the grain. In a small bowl, toss the slices with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 minced garlic clove. Let marinate 10–15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Prepare vegetables and garnishes

Julienne the cucumber into thin matchsticks. If using Korean pickled radish, slice into thin strips. Toast 1 tsp sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat until aromatic, about 1–2 minutes. If using prepared mustard, have it ready for serving.

Cook noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with 1 tsp kosher salt. Add 400 g naengmyeon noodles and cook according to package instructions—usually 3 to 4 minutes—stirring gently to prevent sticking. Taste for doneness; noodles should be tender but slightly chewy.

Rinse and chill noodles

Immediately drain the noodles and transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Rinse and agitate the noodles by hand for 30–60 seconds to remove surface starch and cool them completely. Drain thoroughly in a colander, and portion into four serving bowls (about 100 g cooked noodles per serving).

Assemble bowls

Into each chilled bowl with noodles, arrange julienned cucumber, pickled radish strips, 2–3 slices of the marinated beef, and half a peeled boiled egg. Pour the very cold broth over the noodles to fill the bowl (about 400–500 ml per bowl) and add a few ice cubes or frozen broth cubes to keep it icy. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Serve and finish

Serve mul naengmyeon immediately with optional mustard and extra vinegar on the side. Diners can add a small splash of vinegar and a dab of mustard to taste, then mix briefly before eating. Leftover broth should be kept chilled and used within 24 hours.