Discover Korean Food #12: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Mul-naengmyeon" (THE EAST Campaign in Association with The Institute of Traditional Korean Food)

Mul-naengmyeon is a dish of buckwheat noodles in chilled broth that is garnished with radish Kimchi, pickled cucumber, Korean pear and slices of pressed beef. Originally it was had thin ice over it and was served in the winter, but nowadays people enjoy this dish all year round.

*Ingredients
* 400 g buckwheat noodles (dried), 3 kg (15 cups) water
* 300 g beef (brisket·shank), 1.6 ㎏ (8 cups) water,
fragrant seasoning : 20 g green onion, 20 g garlic
* seasoning sauce : 9 g (½ tbsp) clear soy sauce, 24 g (2 tbsp) sugar, 45 g (3 tbsp) vinegar, 24 g (2 tbsp) salt, 5.4 g (½ tbsp) fermented mustard
* 50 g cucumber, 2 g (½ tsp) salt, 15 g (1 tbsp) water
* 170 g radish, 4 g (1 tsp) salt, 12 g (1 tbsp) sugar, 15 g (1 tbsp) vinegar
* 2.2 g (1 tsp) fine ground red pepper
* 100 g (1/5 ea) pear, 100 g (½ cup) water, 4 g (1 tsp) sugar
* 120 g (2 ea) egg, 1 kg water, 4 g (1 tsp) salt
* 10 g (1 tbsp) pine nuts, 0.5 g shred red pepper

*Preparation
1. Clean blood of beef with cotton cloths. Wash the fragrant seasoning cleanly.
2. Put the beef and water in the pot, heat it up for 10 min. on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, simmer for 1 hour, add green onion and garlic, simmer for another 30 min. (1 kg).
3. Take the beef (300 g) out from the broth, slice it into 4 cm-wide, 2 cm-long and 0.2 cm-thick. After the broth cooled down, skim fats, season with seasoning sauce.
4. Wash the cucumber and halve lengthwise, slice at intervals of 0.2 cm-thick diagonally, soak it in salt water for 20 min, then wipe water with cotton cloths (43 g).
5. Shred the radish into 5 cm-long, 2 cm-wide and 0.2 cm-thick, marinate with salt, sugar, vinegar and fine ground red pepper for 20 min. (100 g). Peel the pear, cut it into half-moon shape, dip in sugar water (70 g).
6. Remove tops of the pine nuts, wipe the nuts with dry cotton cloths. Cut the shred red pepper into 2~3 cm of length.

* Recipe
1. Put the eggs, water and salt in the pot, heat it up for 5 min. on high heat. When it boils, lower the heat to medium, boil for another12min. Take out the eggs, put in cold water, then peel eggshell, cut them into two pieces.
2. Pour water in the pot, heat it up for 12 min. on high heat. When it boils, add noodles, boil for 2 min. Take the noodles out from the pot, wash in cold water by rubbing, make coils with noodles and drain water on a strainer (830 g).
3. Place the noodles in a bowl, garnish with beef, cucumber, radish, egg, pear, pine nuts and shred red pepper, then pour the cold broth.

*Tips
* Cold radish pickled Kimchi juice in the beef broth, or only Kimchi juice may be another choice for the broth.
* In summer season, young summer radish Kimchi may be a tasteful broth.
* More fermented mustard and/or more vinegar in the dish is an option.