- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 500 g
- 2 l
- 6 cloves
- 20 g
- 3 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 3 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- 400 g
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp
Process
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Put the beef brisket, 2 l water, halved onion, garlic, ginger and soy sauce in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off the grey foam that rises.
Lower the heat to low, cover partly and simmer for 75 to 90 minutes, until the brisket is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Do not let it boil hard or the broth turns cloudy.
Lift out the beef and set it aside to cool, then chill it. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a bowl, discarding the onion, garlic and ginger.
Stir the sugar, 2 tbsp of the rice vinegar and the salt into the hot strained broth, then taste. It should be lightly savoury and a little tangy. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ice-cold, at least 2 hours.
While the broth chills, boil the 2 eggs for 9 minutes, cool them in cold water, peel and cut in half. Slice the cooled brisket thinly against the grain and julienne the cucumber and peel and slice the asian pear.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the naengmyeon noodles and cook according to the packet, usually 2 to 4 minutes, stirring so they do not clump.
Drain the noodles and rinse them under very cold running water for 1 to 2 minutes, rubbing gently with your hands, until they are slippery and completely cool. Drain well.
Divide the noodles between 4 deep bowls. Pour the ice-cold broth over them and add 2 ice cubes to each bowl to keep it frosty.
Top each bowl with sliced brisket, cucumber, asian pear and half an egg. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve immediately with the remaining 1 tbsp rice vinegar and the mustard on the table, so each person can sharpen the broth to taste.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is serving the broth merely cold instead of ice-cold. Chill it for at least 2 hours and add ice cubes to the bowls, otherwise the noodles turn soft and the dish tastes flat.
- Rinse the cooked noodles under cold running water until no starch remains; if they stay warm or sticky they clump into a solid block and the broth turns cloudy.
- Skim the foam in the first minutes of simmering and keep the heat low. A hard boil emulsifies the fat and gives a murky broth instead of the clean, light liquid naengmyeon needs.
- Taste the broth after chilling, not while hot. Cold dulls seasoning, so it usually needs a little extra salt or vinegar once it is fridge-cold.
Substitutions
- beef brisket→beef shank or a mix of beef shank and chicken breast for a lighter broth
- asian pear→a firm green pear or a thin slice of apple
- rice vinegar→apple cider vinegar, using a little less
- naengmyeon noodles→thin soba noodles, cooked 1 minute less
Storage & reheating
Keep the strained broth in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month and thaw overnight in the fridge. Store the cooked noodles separately, tossed with a few drops of sesame oil, for up to 2 days; reheat them by plunging into boiling water for 30 seconds, then rinse under cold water again. Keep the sliced brisket, cucumber, pear and eggs in separate containers for up to 2 days. Assemble only just before serving, and never reheat the broth, it must stay ice-cold.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my naengmyeon broth turn cloudy and greasy?
The broth boiled too hard, which emulsified the beef fat into the liquid. Simmer it gently on low, skim the foam in the first 5 minutes, and strain it through a fine sieve. Chilling the broth overnight also lets the fat set on top so you can lift it off.
Can I make naengmyeon broth ahead of time?
Yes, it is better made ahead. Simmer and strain the broth, season it, and refrigerate for up to 3 days so the flavours meld and the fat solidifies for easy removal. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month and thaw it overnight in the fridge.
My noodles clumped into a sticky lump, what went wrong?
They were not rinsed enough after boiling. Drain them, then rub them under very cold running water for 1 to 2 minutes until every strand feels slippery and the water runs clear. Serve them straight away, because buckwheat noodles stick together as they sit.
Can I use a different noodle if I cannot find naengmyeon noodles?
Thin soba noodles are the closest substitute, cooked about 1 minute less than the packet says and rinsed the same way. Avoid wheat pasta or ramen, which stay soft and heavy against the cold broth. Korean grocery stores often sell naengmyeon noodles in the freezer section.
How do I know the beef is tender enough for the broth?
After about 75 minutes, pierce the thickest part with a fork; it should slide in with almost no resistance and the meat should pull apart easily. If it resists, simmer another 10 to 15 minutes. Overcooked brisket crumbles, so check every 10 minutes near the end.
Is naengmyeon supposed to be served with ice in the bowl?
Yes, ice cubes are traditional and keep the broth at the right frosty temperature while you eat. The broth itself should already be fridge-cold before it goes in the bowl. If you skip the ice, the noodles warm the broth and the dish loses its character.
Can I leave out the mustard and vinegar?
They are served at the table, not cooked in, so each person can add as much or as little as they like. The vinegar sharpens the broth and the mustard adds heat, and without them the dish tastes flat. Start with a teaspoon of each and adjust.
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