Mul Naengmyeon (Cold Noodle Soup) with Deep Brisket Broth

Name: Mul Naengmyeon (Cold Noodle Soup) with Deep Brisket Broth
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 1 h 41 min
Total time: 3 h 41 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: Beef brisket — 450 g; Korean radish (mu) — 200 g; Onion — 1; Large green onion (daepa) — 2 stalks; Garlic — 10 cloves; Ginger — 1 knob; Whole black peppercorns — 10 peppercorns; Korean radish (mu) — 300 g; Salt — 1 tsp; Sugar — 1 tbsp; Vinegar — 1 tbsp; Fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) — 1/2 tsp; Cucumber — 1 (300 g, large); Salt — 1 tsp; Sugar — 1 tbsp; Vinegar — 1 tbsp; Korean pear; Egg

A 6-serving cold noodle soup made with rich beef brisket broth skimmed of all fat, served with seasoned pickled toppings.

Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →

Mul Naengmyeon (Cold Noodle Soup) with Deep Brisket Broth — finished dish

Summary

This cold noodle soup features a clear, light beef broth made by simmering beef brisket and aromatics, then completely straining off the fat. The chilled broth is seasoned sweet and tangy, and served with pickled radish and cucumber toppings for a cool, refreshing summer meal.

Servings: 6 servings
Cook time: 101 minprep not included
Difficulty: Hard
Spiciness: Not spicy

Ingredients

Broth ingredients

Beef brisket450 g
Korean radish (mu)200 g
Onion1
Large green onion (daepa)2 stalks
Garlic10 cloves
Ginger1 knob
Whole black peppercorns10 peppercorns

Vinegar-pickled radish

Korean radish (mu)300 g
Salt1 tsp
Sugar1 tbsp
Vinegar1 tbsp
Fine gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)1/2 tsp

Vinegar-pickled cucumber

Cucumber1 (300 g, large)
Salt1 tsp
Sugar1 tbsp
Vinegar1 tbsp

Other ingredients

Korean pear
Egg

Measurements · 1 tbsp = 15 ml (a heaping regular dinner spoon) · 1 tsp = 5 ml (a heaping teaspoon)

Soak the beef for the broth in cold water for about 2 hours to draw out the blood, changing the water occasionally.
You can use 150 g of meat as the base for 2 servings.
If you have dongchimi broth, baek-kimchi broth, or nabak-kimchi broth, mixing it in equal parts with the beef broth makes the mul naengmyeon broth much more delicious.

Steps

1. Beef brisket is best for making the broth. Trim away any visible fat.
Soak it in cold water to draw out the blood for about 2 hours, changing the water occasionally.
You can use 150 g of meat as the base for 2 servings.
2. Here are the ingredients that go into making the broth.
Cut the Korean radish and onion into large chunks, and prepare the large green onion from the root to the middle part.
Prepare 10 cloves of whole garlic and 1 knob of ginger. Slice the ginger thinly.
Whole black peppercorns are not in the picture, but I added 10 peppercorns.
3. Add the meat and all the aromatics to 20 cups of water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
When using 150 g of meat as the base for 2 servings, you can pour in about 6-7 cups of water.
4. Boil vigorously over high heat for about 10 minutes, skimming off all the foam that rises to the top.
5. Simmer gently over low heat for about 1 hour and 30 minutes so the broth extracts well.
6. Remove the meat, and strain the solids through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to collect the clear broth.
The 20 cups of water boiled down to about 15 cups of broth.
7. Season with soup soy sauce, salt, and sugar, adjusting it to your taste to make it sweet and tangy.
Since mul naengmyeon is eaten cold, seasoning it a little strongly makes it delicious.
To season the broth based on 2.5 cups (2 1/2) for 1 serving, add 1 tsp soup soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp vinegar.
Taste it, add more salt if it tastes bland, and adjust the sugar and vinegar to your preference.
If you have dongchimi broth, baek-kimchi broth, or nabak-kimchi broth, mixing it in equal parts
with the beef broth makes the mul naengmyeon broth much more delicious.
8. If you leave the broth in the refrigerator overnight, white fat will form on top.
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9. Skim off the fat with a sieve or strain it through cheesecloth.
10. A clean, light broth with not a trace of grease is complete.
If you prepare the broth properly like this, you can enjoy refreshing mul naengmyeon anytime.
Put the broth in the freezer 2 hours before eating the noodles, and a slush of ice will form.
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11. Slice the meat thinly, and
12. Cut the boiled eggs in half.
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13. Let's make the vinegar-pickled radish and cucumber for the naengmyeon.
Slice the Korean radish thin and flat, add the salt, and let it pickle for 30 minutes.
14. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, slice it diagonally, add the salt just like the radish, and let it pickle for 30 minutes.
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15. After 30 minutes, discard the salted water released during pickling, add the vinegar, sugar, and fine gochugaru, and toss together.
16. Discard the salted water from the pickled cucumber as well, add the vinegar and sugar, and toss together.
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Here are the finished vinegar-pickled radish and cucumber.
If you have Korean pear, prepare some as well to add as a topping.
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How to easily separate naengmyeon noodles
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How to easily separate naengmyeon noodles
19. It is troublesome to pull naengmyeon or jjolmyeon noodle strands apart one by one.
Here is a very easy way. Freeze the noodle portions rock-solid in the freezer.
20. Submerge the frozen noodles in cold water, leave them for about 20 seconds, and gently separate them with your hands; they will loosen easily.
Once fully loosened, drain briefly in a colander, and...
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21. Add the naengmyeon noodles to boiling water and cook for around 1 minute.
Cooking times for noodles may vary, so refer to the package instructions.
22. Put the cooked noodles in cold water and rub them with both hands to wash away the slimy starch.
Rinse about twice in clean water, and finish by rinsing in ice water for even chewier noodles.
Place the naengmyeon noodles and all the toppings in a bowl, and pour in the slushy broth.
Serve with prepared yellow mustard on the side.
It is just as good as restaurant mul naengmyeon.

Ppunwife's tips

Since mul naengmyeon is eaten cold, seasoning it a little strongly makes it delicious.
Put the broth in the freezer 2 hours before eating the noodles, and a slush of ice will form.
Put the cooked noodles in cold water and rub them with both hands to wash away the slimy starch, rinse about twice in clean water, and finish by rinsing in ice water for even chewier noodles.

FAQ

Is there an easy way to untangle clumped naengmyeon noodles?

Freeze the noodle portions rock-solid in the freezer, soak them in cold water for about 20 seconds, and gently tease them apart with your hands; the strands will separate easily.

How do you remove the grease floating on the broth?

If you chill the boiled broth in the refrigerator overnight, the fat solidifies white on top, making it easy to skim off with a fine sieve or cheesecloth.

How long should the broth be frozen to make it slushy?

Placing the broth in the freezer about 2 hours before your meal creates just the right amount of slushy ice.

What ingredients can be used instead of beef broth?

You can mix dongchimi broth, baek-kimchi broth, or nabak-kimchi broth half-and-half with the beef broth, or use rich anchovy broth or yeolmu-mul-kimchi (young radish water kimchi) broth on its own.