Naengmyeon 콤보 Recipe

Simmer the beef

Place beef brisket or shank into a large pot and add 2200 ml cold water. Add whole onion (peeled), 4 garlic cloves, 200 g daikon (cut into large chunks), 1 tsp black peppercorns and 2 tbs kosher salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer. Skim any foam for the first 10–15 minutes. Simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until beef is tender but still sliceable.

Strain and chill

Remove beef and set aside to cool. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard solids or reserve some daikon for topping. Taste and adjust seasoning with 1 tbs rice vinegar and 1 tsp sugar to give a faint tang and balance. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until very cold (at least 2 hours) or place in the freezer until near-slushy. Add 2 cups ice to chill quickly before serving if needed.

While the broth cools, make a quick dongchimi-style brine. Toss 200 g napa cabbage ribbons, 150 g julienned Korean radish, 1 sliced spring onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 10 g sliced ginger and 1 tbs coarse sea salt in a bowl. Massage lightly and let sit 15 minutes to draw liquid. Transfer to a jar, add 300 ml cold water and 1 tbs rice vinegar. Stir, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Reserve the crisp vegetables as toppings and use 60–100 ml of this tangy brine to add to the broth at serving to brighten flavor.

Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add naengmyeon noodles and cook exactly as package directs (commonly 2–4 minutes) until al dente. Stir gently to prevent clumping. Drain and immediately rinse under very cold running water, then gently rub the noodles while rinsing to remove surface starch. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to chill completely (about 5 minutes). Drain well just before assembling.

Prepare toppings: Julienne 1 cucumber and thinly slice the pear. Peel and halve 2 hard-boiled eggs. Thinly slice or julienne 100 g pickled radish. Tear or slice some of the quick dongchimi cabbage/radish from its jar to use as a crisp, tangy topping. Lightly roast sesame seeds if desired.

Make the bibim sauce: In a small bowl whisk together 3 tbs gochujang, 1 tbs rice vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar (or honey), 1 tsp gochugaru, 1 minced garlic clove and 2 tbs water. Adjust thickness with more water and balance sweet/sour/spicy to taste. Reserve.

Portion noodles: Divide chilled noodles into 4 deep bowls (about 100 g noodles per person). Arrange so half the bowl will be dressed mul-style (broth) and the other half bibim-style (sauce).

Dress the bibim half: Toss the noodles on one side of each bowl with about 1–2 tbs of bibim sauce (adjust to heat preference), some cucumber julienne, a few slices of pear and pickled radish. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds per bowl.

Dress the mul half: Place several slices of chilled beef and a few pieces of dongchimi vegetables on the other side. Ladle very cold strained broth into the bowl until the noodles are partially submerged (about 350–450 ml broth per bowl depending on bowl size). Add 1–2 tbs of the dongchimi brine to each bowl to brighten the flavor (taste first to avoid over-acidifying).

Finish and serve: Top each bowl with half a hard-boiled egg, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and a little ground black pepper if desired. Serve immediately with extra bibim sauce and extra chilled broth or dongchimi brine on the side.