Bibim Naengmyeon (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)

Bibim Naengmyeon (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles), One of Korea’s most well-liked summer dishes is made with chewy noodles and naengmyeon sauce. In Korea, summertime is a huge time for cold noodles. The most popular cold noodle meal is naengmyeon, which comes in many different variations.

Table of Contents

Bibim Naengmyeon Contents:

What is Naengmyeon?
What is Bibim Naengmyeon?
Types of Naengmyeon
Which type of Noodles are used in Naengmyeon?
What is the difference between Naengmyeon & Guksu?
Varieties of cold noodles
Recipe
How to serve Bibim Naengmyeon?
How to eat Bibim Naengmyeon?

What is Naengmyeon?

The term “naengmyeon” refers to a Korean dish of buckwheat-based, spicy cold noodles that are served at a chilly temperature. It is a popular cold Korean noodle meal that includes long, thin noodles, cucumbers, slices of Korean pear, slices of beef, and a hard-boiled egg.

Depending on the variety of naengmyeon, buckwheat, potato, sweet potato starch, arrowroot, or kudzu may also be used to make the chewy noodles. It is a favourite dish, especially in the summer when South Korea has oppressive heat and muggy air.

During the Korean War, the individuals who fled the North during the conflict were known for eating cold noodles in South Korea.

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What is Bibim Naengmyeon?

Bibim Naengmyeon (Spicy cold noodles), are the ideal remedy for the summertime heat! It is chilly, hot, sweet, and sour. One dish contains all of your needs!

Although it’s not always the case, the word “Bibim (mixed)” frequently conjures up images of “SPICY.” Bibim Naengmyeon is therefore often referred to as spicy cold noodles from Korea. A cold broth, julienned cucumbers, Korean pear slices, boiled eggs, and cold-boiled beef slices are all included in the preparation of Bibim naengmyeon, which is served in a stainless steel bowl. The long, thin noodles can also be prepared with seaweed or green tea. They are typically made using flour, buckwheat, or sweet potatoes.

The noodles are generally provided without cutting since they stand for longevity and good health, however, customers can ask waiters to cut the noodles any way they like.

Types of Naengmyeon

According to the preparation method, naengmyeon meals can be divided into two primary categories:

Mul Naengmyeon
Bibim Naengmyeon

The noodles in Mul Naengmyeon are often served in a clear, energizing broth made with beef broth and/or Dongchimi (radish water kimchi broth). Mul, which alludes to the broth in this meal, is Arabic for water.
Bibim naengmyeon is the name for the dish if the noodles are combined with a fiery red sauce.

In Korea, Mul Naengmyeon is referred to as Pyongyang Naengmyeon, while Bibim Naengmyeon is referred to as Hamhung Naengmyeon. These names are derived from the North Korean cities of Pyongyang and Hamhung.
Mul naengmyeon is similar to a cold noodle soup served in a tangy mustardy beef broth, but Bibim naengmyeon is typically topped with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. Both of these noodles are well-liked in Korea during the sweltering summer months.

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Which type of Noodles are used in Naengmyeon?

Buckwheat flour is a typical pantry item in Korean cuisine and is used to make the noodles used in Nangmyeon.
Although buckwheat noodles are sometimes confused with soba noodles, their textures couldn’t be further apart. Compared to Japanese soba noodles, Korean Nangmyeon noodles have a chewy and slightly rubbery bite.
Avoid confusion with Dangmyeon, one of the key components of the well-known Japchae (Korean glass noodles).
The majority of Nangmyeon noodles contain wheat flour since buckwheat alone causes the noodles to break quickly and lose their shape. Compared to Japanese soba, they have more sweet potato starch and wheat flour.
Additionally, the type of buckwheat used determines the colour of Nangmyeon noodles. More buckwheat outer skin is utilised when the colour is darker.
Pyongyang naengmyeon noodles are customarily consumed in extremely cold Dongchimi soup in the winter and are composed primarily of buckwheat rather than starch.
The main ingredient of Hamhung naengmyeon noodles is potato or sweet potato starch, which makes them thinner and chewy.
Commercially available naengmyeon noodles come in dried, chilled, and frozen varieties.
Pouches of pre-made soup or hot sauce, which are quite popular in Korea for quick, simple meals, are included in certain packages. Only buy noodles if you’re going to make naengmyeon from scratch because they’re generally more expensive.

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What is the difference between Naengmyeon & Guksu?

“The noodles” are the primary difference. Typically, buckwheat flour, sweet potato starch, or potato starch are used to make naengmyeon noodles. They are quite tough and considerably more difficult to cut with your teeth.

Guksu noodles, on the other hand, are typically made from wheat flour, though occasionally additional ingredients are added, like the soba noodles I used for my Bibim Guksu (which contained 69% wheat flour and 29% buckwheat flour).

Varieties of Cold Noodles

Cold noodles come in a wide range of flavours, including Naengmyeon, Kong Guksu, Bibim Guksu, and Jaengban Guksu, to mention a few. There are various versions for each of these. Others are often seasoned with a hot sauce, while some are cooked with chilly broth.

Naengmyeon: The term “naengmyeon” refers to a Korean dish of buckwheat-based, spicy cold noodles that are served at a chilly temperature. It is a popular cold Korean noodle meal that includes long, thin noodles, cucumbers, slices of Korean pear, slices of beef, and a hard-boiled egg.
Kong Guksu: Noodles are poured in flavorful soy milk in the reviving dish known as “Kongguksu.” A perfect fit for warm summer days!
Jaengban Guksu: A lot of fresh veggies are included in the cold noodle meal Jaengban Guksu, which is served on a huge platter. In Korean, Guksu (noodles) and Jaengban (big platter/tray) have the same meanings.
Bibim Guksu: Bibim Guksu is a cold noodle meal with fresh veggies that are served in a gochujang sauce that is hot, sweet, and acidic. Simple, energising, and tasty!

This recipe’s abundance of fresh veggies makes it a nutritious, cooling, and revitalising meal! The end product is a dish that is absolutely delicious and ideal for the warm weather!

Thin wheat flour noodles (Somyeon or somen) or buckwheat noodles are typically used to make Bibim Guksu (Memil Guksu, aka soba noodles).

Recipe

Ingredients: Naengmyeon noodles, egg, cucumber

For quick pickled radish: Radish, salt, sugar, vinegar

For Sauce: Onions, ginger, garlic, Pineapp, apple, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, chilli flakes, Korean mustard, Sesame oil.

Step 1: Prepare the Bibim Naengmyeon sauce

First, combine a cup of soy sauce with a cup of water and quickly boil. Take the food off the stove and leave it to cool.
Blend the diced pineapple, apple, onion, and garlic in a blender until very smooth. To aid in blending, you can add a small amount of water or canned pineapple juice. You can also use canned pineapple.
Add the fruit mixture, chilli flakes, sugar, and other sauce components to your soy sauce in the pot. Mix well.
If you want a thinner consistency, increase the amount of water or pineapple juice. Do not forget to add some toasted sesame seeds.

Step 2: Prepare quick pickled radish

To make the fast pickled radish, combine the radish strips with the vinegar, sugar, and salt, and leave aside for 20 minutes. Squeeze out any extra moisture after rinsing.

Step 3: Prepare the noodles

Noodles should be cooked by adding them to boiling water in a pot and cooking them as directed on the package. So they don’t cling together, stirring frequently. With extremely cold water, drain and rinse the noodles.

TIPS:

This sauce can keep for a few months in the refrigerator. Any sort of noodle can be prepared with it, as can hot Korean vegetable salads.
Any broth that is left over can be used in other Korean dishes. It works very well as a soup foundation.

How to serve Bibim Naengmyeon?

A few tablespoons of sauce should be added on top of the noodles in the big bowl. Add the cucumber, boiled egg, and sliced radish on top.

Simply combine the noodles and sauce before serving.

How to eat Bibim Naengmyeon?

To make the noodles simpler to combine and consume, cut through them with kitchen shears a few times.
You can add some of the beef broth if you wish to lessen the spice or give the noodles more wetness when you eat them.
To keep the noodles cool, some people like to place a few ice cubes in a dish. But as you eat, it can thin out the sauce.
In a restaurant, the table is prepared with vinegar and yellow mustard paste. You can sprinkle a tiny amount of these on the noodles if you want them to have a little more spicy zing or kick.