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Bibim Naengmyeon (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)

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Ingredients
  

Beef Broth

  • 1 lb brisket
  • 1/4 lb Korean radish
  • 1/2 small onion
  • 4 green onions bulbs (white parts)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tbsp dashida (beef bouillon)
  • 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 4 cups water
  • Or make the quick version: 1/4 cup hot water + 1/4 tsp dashed (beef bouillon)

Bibim Sauce

  • 1/4 cup beef broth (from above)
  • 1/4 Asian pear
  • 1/4 small onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger
  • 3-4 tbsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
  • 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
  • 2 tbsp rice syrup
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Toppings

  • brisket slices
  • thinly sliced cucumbers
  • Asian pear slices
  • hard boiled egg
  • crushed sesame seeds

Instructions
 

Beef Broth:

  • Soak the brisket in cold water for 30 minutes
  • Put the brisket in a instant pot with the garlic, onion, green onion bulb, Korean radish, black peppercorns, and dashida. Pressure cook for 40 minutes.
    *If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can just boil for 2-3 hours on medium but you'll need to add water as needed.
  • Strain the broth
  • Remove as much fat as you can for a nice clean broth. I used a fat seperator.

Bibim Sauce:

  • When you cut the Asian pear, make sure to cut out the center where the core/seeds are because that part is bitter. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Taste and make adjustments as needed. I like my sauce really spicy, tangy, and a little bit sweet.

Prepare the toppings:

  • Thinly slice the cucumber.
  • Once the brisket has cooled thinly slice against the grain.
  • Use a mortar and pestle to grind down the sesame seeds
  • To hard boil an egg: bring a pot of water to a boil then add a splash of vinegar. Carefully drop the egg into the boiling water and set the timer for 12 minutes. Get an ice bath ready in the meantime. Immediately put the egg into the ice bath after boiling and let it sit for about a minute.
  • Thinly slice the Asian pear or cut into matchsticks, whichever you prefer. These will oxidize quickly so either place them in cold sugar water before using it, or wait until the last minute to cut them.

Cook the noodles:

  • If you can find this brand, get it! This one was my favorite for texture and flavor. Boil the noodles for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Watch the noodles closely because they are very porous and will cook quickly.
  • When the noodles are almost done, quickly drain and rinse under ice cold water. Remove as much starch as you can, but try not to keep them under water for too long because they are so porous that they will continue to get softer even in cold water.
  • Build your bowl immediately- do not let naengmyeon noodles sit out too long because the texture will change. Top the noodles with the bibim sauce, brisket, cucumber, Asian pear, egg, & crushed sesame seeds. Pour in the icy broth (if using) & enjoy

Optional: make the icy dongchimi broth

  • You don't need this to make good Bibim Naengmyeon but I love drinking the broth. It also keeps it nice and cold. To make the icy broth, add equal parts of beef broth + dongchimi brine. Season to taste with sugar and soy sauce, then put it in the freezer for a couple of hours to turn slushy. You can find my recipe for dongchimi here.