Naeng Myun | Naeng Myeon - Chilled Buckwheat Noodles

Mul naeng myun 물 냉면 is a traditional Korean chilled dish of buckwheat noodles in a vinegary, subtly sweet broth that has been cooled down with ice cubes. The entire dish from the ice to the buckwheat has cooling effects on the body.

This recipe is a traditional version made with beef.

How to Pronounce "Naeng Myun"

Don't think too hard by looking at the English letters, especially the "ae." It sounds more like "neng." The u in "myun" is short, and rhymes with the first part of "Hyundai."

What is Naeng Myun?

Naeng myun is a traditional Korean dish of buckwheat noodles in a chilled, sometimes icy, savory broth. Asian pear, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish garnish the bowls. Often but not always, the bowls include kimchi, thinly-sliced beef brisket, and/or hard-boiled egg.

The two key components of the dish are the noodles and the broth.

Naeng myun noodles consist primarily of buckwheat. Because buckwheat is not related to regular wheat at all, the recipe can be and is often gluten-free. The noodles can also include arrowroot, corn, and sweet potato starches (also gluten-free). However, some noodles may contain regular wheat flour to help with texture. The different combinations of ingredients will make all the noodles differ ever-so-slightly in color, taste, and texture from one another.

The soup for is usually based on beef, and served chilled. My version of the soup, the "mul," which means "water," is clear, light, and tangy, making it refreshing to me. Other recipes use very rich stocks as the soup base. Often, this results in a somewhat frozen-but-gelatinous texture, since the soup is supposed to be cold. This is a little weird for me texturally, but people in my universe love it.

What You Need

To make this recipe, you will need:

• naeng myun noodles
• beef brisket
• chicken and/or beef stock for the soup
• aromatics for the soup: garlic, onion, ginger, daikon radish
• seasonings for the soup: salt, pepper, and vinegar
• Asian pear
• cucumber
• hard boiled eggs
• kimchi

How to Make Naeng Myun

At a high level, there are only a few things to do to make naeng myun:

• Make the soup
• Chill the broth for a few hours
• Cook noodles and rinse to make them chewy and bouncy
• Assemble bowls with chilled broth, noodles, and garnishes

Where to Buy/Source Ingredients

At the Korean market, you will find naeng myun noodles in the dried noodle aisle or with Asian noodles in the refrigerated section. Many of the brands sell the noodles in packages along with powdered soup base and serving seasonings (kind of like packaged ramen). I throw these packets out and make the broth from scratch. There will be times when you are tempted to rely on the packaged seasonings. It won't taste as good, but go ahead. It's not like I'll find out and hate.

• beef brisket: I usually try to get my meat from Marconda's Meat in Los Angeles, but this time, Whole Foods Market because it's too fucking hot to drive all over town for ingredients for just one meal.
• chicken stock: homemade and frozen, though I keep Imagine brand Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth in my pantry
• noodles: Wang brand, Galleria Market in Koreatown, Los Angeles (see photo below)
• kimchi: Ocinet brand at H-Mart
• any and all other groceries from Bristol Farms or Whole Foods Market

The only noodles from which you want to differentiate for sure are dang-myun, which is used for jap-chae and other soups and stews (thicker, more transparent like "cellophane," and more slippery), and buckwheat soba ("squared off" and not bouncy/chewy).

Is Naeng Myun Healthy?

For certain dietary restrictions and health needs, naeng-myun can be healthy!

Buckwheat, the main component of the noodles, is high in fiber and other bioactive compounds.

What is the Difference Between Naeng Myun and Soba?

Both dishes are made with noodles that are made from buckwheat. Naeng myun is a Korean dish, and soba is a Japanese word for a specific style of buckwheat-based noodle that can be served in many different ways.

Not to be too confusing, Korean cuisine also uses a buckwheat soba similar in style to the Japanese soba for other dishes.

Where to Try Naeng Myun in a Restaurant

If you've never eaten naeng myun, try it in a restaurant first. The taste, temperature, and texture together is something to get used to. In LA, there are a few restaurants that specialize in naeng-myun, though many Korean restaurants that specialize in BBQ or serve a variety of traditional foods will probably have it, too.

• Yu Chun Chic (Koreatown, Los Angeles) seems to get the most, and highest, raves. I like it, especially the cups of straight broth you can drink. There are two locations {yelp}
• Ham Heung Naeng-Myun (Koreantown, Los Angeles) {yelp}
• Chilbomyunok is a BBQ restaurant, but is also known for their naeng-myun. {midtown lunch review}
• I've tried the spicy, soup-less version at Dong Il Jang - ** update ** this restaurant has permanently closed

More Noodle and Chilled Noodle Salads

Try these chilled noodle dishes and salads to stay cool:

• Bibim Naeng Myun, Spicy Korean Chilled Buckwheat Noodle Salad
• Soba Noodle Salad
• Spicy Soba Noodle Salad with Gochujang Dressing
• Soba Noodles with Miso Tahini Sauce
• Vietnamese-style Rice Noodle Salad

Print Recipe

5 from 12 votes

(Mul) Naeng-Myun / Korean Chilled Buckwheat Noodles in Soup

Start the soup base first. You can wash/peel/slice/prep all the vegetables and make hard boiled eggs while the soup is cooking, and then chilling (could be a few hours!). Naeng-myun noodles take about 5 minutes to cook; cook them just before serving, and make sure to rinse them a few times to give them that chewy, springy bounce!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: asian, korean

Keyword: buckwheat, naeng myun, neng myun, soba noodles

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef brisket
• 1 quart chicken stock + 1 quart filtered water you can also used prepared beef stock in place of water if you have it for a much richer soup taste
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger peeled and smashed
• 1 medium onion peeled and quartered length-wise through the root
• 3-inch section of daikon radish cut into ½-inch rounds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5-7 whole black peppercorns
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1-3 teaspoons sugar or to taste (optional)
• 1½ lb package Korean naeng-myun noodles
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 small Asian pear quartered and thinly sliced
• 1-2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
• vinegar-pickled daikon radish slices thinly slice daikon radish, pickle using Momofuku brine, recipe here
• cabbage kimchi red pepper rinsed off under cold water
• hard boiled eggs half egg for each serving (how to make PERFECT Hard Boiled Eggs, recipe here)
• to serve: toasted sesame seeds garnish, hot mustard oil or wasabi

Instructions

Make Soup Base

• Rinse beef brisket, then place in a large pot, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil and allow it to boil out for about five minutes. Turn off the heat, carefully pour out the water with all the foam and fat, rinse off the beef and the pot. Wipe out any foam/scum that sticks to the side.
• Add chicken stock, filtered water, garlic, ginger, onion, daikon radish, salt and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, covered, with just a little bit of space to let some steam out. The soup will reduce to about ¾ the original.
• Once the beef is cooked, remove it to a plate and put in the refrigerator to chill and "set." When the beef brisket is cool enough to handle and more "solid," slice it against the grain as thinly as possible.
• Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve into a heat proof container. Chill the soup for a couple of hours in the refrigerator, you can also let it chill overnight.
• Once the soup is chilled, stir in additional salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, and sugar.

Cook Naeng Myun Noodles

• Cook the naeng-myun noodles according to the package. Bring water in a large pot to a boil. You can probably use the pot you used to cook the beef/make the soup. Turn down the heat to medium and let cook for about 5 minutes.
• Drain into colander and rinse with cold running water several times while gently "massaging" the noodles. Drizzle the rinsed and drained noodles with sesame oil and gently massage the noodles to distribute the oil. Divide the cooked naeng-myun noodles among serving bowls right away because the noodles are somewhat "sticky" and start to clump together fairly soon (if they are left without liquid/broth).

Assemble Naeng Myun in Bowls

• Top the noodles in each bowl with a few slices each of Asian pear, cucumber, rinsed cabbage kimchi, beef brisket, and half a hard boiled egg. Carefully ladle soup into bowl around noodles. Add ice cubes to the soup in the bowls. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with additional vinegar (using the pickling brine from the radish works well), hot mustard, and kimchi.

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