North Korean Naengmyun (Cold Noodles)

Step 1

Make stock for naengmyeon:

Step 2

Boil 8 cups of water with 4 shiitake mushrooms, a 4 inch piece of dried kelp, and 10 dried anchovies with the heads and the intestines removed for 20 minutes over high heat.

Step 3

Lower the heat to low and simmer another 20 minutes.

Step 4

Cool it down and keep it in the refrigerator.

Step 5

Prepare toppings:

Step 6

Mustard paste:

Step 7

Mix 1 tbs of mustard powder and ½ tbs water. Put it in a warm place to ferment it for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Step 8

Cucumber:

Step 9

Slice 2 cucumbers into thin strips. Add a ½ pinch of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vinegar. Mix it up and and set it aside.

Step 10

Pear:

Step 11

Slice 1 Asian pear into thin strips. You can use either Korean pear or bosc pear. Soak it in water and add ½ teaspoon sugar. Set it aside.

Step 12

Egg:

Step 13

Slice the hard-boiled eggs into quarters or slices

Step 14

Make the noodles:

Step 15

Put a package of buckwheat noodles into a big pot of boiling water. Stir them with a wooden spoon so that the noodles don’t stick to each other. Keep boiling for about 3-5 minutes until cooked.

Step 16

When the noodles are cooked, move the pot to the sink and pour cold water over them. Drain some of the water out and pour more cold water over them again.

Step 17

Drain the noodles in a colander.

Step 18

Put it all together:

Step 19

For each serving you need to make, mix 2 cups of stock in a bowl with 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 teaspoons sugar. Add more vinegar to taste. Add a few ice cubes to make it even colder.

Step 20

Place noodles in a bowl and add the cold broth, cucumber, pear, mustard paste, and egg on top. Serve cold. If you have kimchi juice or young summer radish kimchi, add some to the noodle soup. You can garnish with some radish sprouts. You can also serve with some red pepper paste on the side.