Frosty Naengmyeon with Korean Pear and Beef Broth

⏱ 180 min · Serves 4

Icy, tangy, faintly sweet — this is the bowl Korea reaches for when summer bites. Chewy buckwheat noodles sit in a slushy beef-and-radish broth, crowned with crisp pear, cool cucumber and a jammy egg. Make the broth the day before and dinner comes together in minutes.

Per serving: 565 kcal · 38.0g protein · 78.0g carbs · 11.5g fat

Ingredients

• 400g beef brisket
• 2.5 litres water
• 1 onion, halved
• 6 garlic cloves
• 5cm piece ginger, sliced
• 1 leek, white part only
• 200g Korean radish (mu) or daikon, peeled
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 150ml dongchimi (radish water kimchi) brine, optional but excellent
• 400g dried naengmyeon (buckwheat) noodles
• 1 Korean pear (or firm Nashi), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• Korean mustard oil (gyeoja) and extra vinegar, to serve

Method

1. Soak the brisket in cold water for 30 minutes to draw out blood, then drain.
2. Put the brisket in a large pot with 2.5 litres water, the onion, garlic, ginger and leek. Bring to the boil, skim the scum thoroughly, then simmer gently for 1 hour 15 minutes. Add the whole piece of radish for the last 20 minutes.
3. Lift out the beef and radish; cool the beef, wrap tightly and chill. Strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with muslin and discard the aromatics.
4. Season the hot broth with soy sauce, sugar and salt. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the vinegar and dongchimi brine. Chill at least 3 hours, or freeze for 1 hour before serving so it turns slushy at the edges. Taste when cold — it should be sharp, salty and refreshing.
5. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, cool in iced water, peel and halve. Slice the chilled brisket as thinly as you can. Slice a little of the cooked radish into thin sheets.
6. Toss the pear slices with a splash of the broth to stop browning. Keep pear and cucumber in the fridge until serving.
7. Cook the noodles in plenty of fast-boiling water for 2–3 minutes, until just chewy. Drain and rinse under cold running water, rubbing with your hands to remove starch, then plunge into iced water. Drain very well and coil into nests.
8. Divide the noodles between four deep, well-chilled bowls. Pour over the icy broth to come halfway up. Top with beef, pear, cucumber, radish and half an egg. Scatter with sesame seeds.
9. Serve with mustard oil and vinegar on the side — stir a little of each in, then cut the noodles with scissors before slurping.