Bibim Naengmyeon

About the dish

Naengmyeon has captivated Korean palates for centuries and is now a summer standby, the classic finish to a meal of bulgogi or galbi. Yet it began as a winter dish of the northern provinces: people broke the thin ice on jars of dongchimi buried in the frozen ground, ladled the icy brine over noodles and ate them shivering on a warm ondol floor — the old wisdom of fighting cold with cold.

Key ingredient

Buckwheat (memil) — good for the skin and for dieting, and helps guard against hypertension and lifestyle diseases; supports the liver against hangovers, acts as a diuretic and aids insulin secretion. Harvested in October, mainly from Jeju.

Ingredients

Main: naengmyeon noodles, pickled radish, cucumber, boiled egg, pear, pyeonyuk (sliced boiled meat) · Seasoning: gochugaru, gochujang, vinegar, sugar, minced garlic

Simple recipe

1. Boil the buckwheat noodles, rinse in cold water and coil into nests.
2. Make a mixing sauce with gochugaru, vinegar and sugar.
3. Toss the noodles with the sauce.
4. Top with cucumber, radish and boiled egg.
5. Serve with slushy ice and a drizzle of sesame oil.

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A Glass · Traditional pairing