Mul Naengmyeon 물냉면 )

| By: Sage Ko|

Mul Naengmyeon is great summer food. The thin, chewy noodles are served in a refreshingly clean broth that cools you down as no other dish can. This recipe is ready in a matter of minutes! You can garnish it to your liking.

Ingredients

Yield: 2 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 4 minutes

• ½ package (or 260 grams) of “Choung Too Mul Naengmyeon” noodles

• 1 package of premade broth (beef or Dongchimi based on personal preference)

• Water

• 2 ½ cups of ice - 1 cup for rinsing - 1 cup for chilling broth

• Dash of Salt

Garnishes

• ½ Cucumber, sliced

• 2 eggs, boiled and halved

• 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds

• ¼ cup of Pickled Radish, thinly sliced

• Chili Powder (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Add 4 cups of water and a dash of salt in a pot. Bring to a boil.

2. Once water is boiling, add the noodles and stir immediately for 30 seconds.

3. Allow noodles to boil for 4 minutes.

4. Tip: Don’t overcook the noodles! Always use a timer.

5. Tip: Add 1 cup of cold water after 2 minutes, so noodles don’t clump together in the pot.

6. Drain the noodles and rinse in cold water.

7. Add 1 cup of ice to the cold water. Rinse the noodles 2-3 more times.

8. The colder the noodles, the chewier they are.

9. Transfer rinsed noodles into a large bowl while running cold water.

10. Wrap noodles around your fingers in one direction to form a ball. Gently squeeze excess water from the noodle ball.

11. Transfer 1 noodle ball into a serving bowl.

12. Pour pre-made broth into 1½ cups of ice. Allow broth to chill as you garnish the noodles.

13. Start garnishing noodle balls by adding pickled radish and cucumber.

14. Optional step: Cover pickled radish with chili powder for more flavor.

15. Pour ½ the amount of chilled broth into each serving bowl.

16. Place egg on top and sprinkle sesame seeds.

17. ENJOY!

Notes

• For the garnishing, the fresher the cucumber, the better. If you garden, I suggest planting cucumbers because they are easy to care for and grow fresher than most store-bought cucumbers!

• You can purchase all these ingredients at your local Korean supermarket. It may be overwhelming when you arrive because there are many varieties of Naengmyeon noodles and premade broth. My favorite type of Naengmyeon comes in the “Choung Too Mul Naengmyeon” package. These noodles are thinner as compared to other packaged Naengmyeon types. Although Mul Naengmyeon is typically served in a beef broth, there are premade broth packages ranging from beef flavors to “Dongchimi” (or Winter Kimchi) flavors. If you’re a vegetarian like me, I enjoy the Dongchimi broth rather than beef broth.