Recipe: Neng-Myun(Cold Noodle냉면)

Naeng-Myun is winter seasonal delicacy from the northern area of Korea. Prepared by pouring iced soup stock over cooled off cold buckwheat noodle (sari) with garnishes, Naeng Myun is known for its refreshing taste.Among many different Naeng Myun recipes, ones from Pyeongyang and Hamheung were the most popular and still are. Nowadays, Naeng Myun is all-around season popular noodle dish. 

One of old-written record mentioning Naeng Myun can be found in ‘Dongguk Sesigi’ (1849, late Chosun Dynasty):

“ As a seasonal food in winter, buckwheat noodle added with radish Kimchi and cabbage Kimchi, also with pork laid on top, is called Naeng Myun. Among its kind, Pyeongyang naeng myun made in Pyeongan province has particularly excellent taste.”

Because Naeng Myun's taste comes from the soup stock, it takes time and effort! 

Recipe (Ingredients)

 

12 oz chunk of beef meat for stock, ¼ of Chinese radish (daikon), Neng-Myun noodle (buck wheat noodle)  for 4, 2 whole green onions, 4 garlic cloves,  a chunk of ginger (about a thumb size), ¼ of daikon, half onion, 2 eggs, 1 Tsp of finely ground red pepper, salt, vinegar, sugar, yellow wasabi(Gyeu–Ja), ½ cucumber, Asian pear

Direction

Soup Base

Leave meat in water for 30 minutes, letting excessive blood out.

On high heat placed meat in the pot with 10 cups of water.

When it starts to boil, reduce from high to medium heat for about an hour.

Take out fat and foam on the surface of soup while boiling.
Add whole green onion, ½ onion, ginger, and 4 cloves of garlic. Boil for 20 more minutes.

Take out meat, and slice into flat pieces.  Save it for topping.  

Take out vegetables.

Soup Base Seasoning (choose one)

1) Add soy sauce and salt into the soup. (Ratio 5 soy sauce: 1salt).

2) The best way is to add Dongchimi (Water Kimchi). Add 2 cups of Dongchimi water and add salt, if desired.

3) Grind garlic, half chilly pepper, cucumber, onion, daikon, Pear separately and mix. 
Add the mixture into the soup base and add salt if desired.  Put the soup base into the refrigerator and cool it. 

 

Making Ko-myung (tops)

Cut daikon into 2 inch X 1 inch size pieces.  Sprinkle salt, and leave it for a while. Squeeze water out, and add finely ground red pepper.  Use your hand to mix them well. Add a little bit of sugar and vinegar.

Cut cucumber into thin strips. Add salt and leave it for a while.  Squeeze water out.

Cut pear into thin piece. Boil an egg and cut it half. 

Noodle

Boil water in a big pot, and add Neng-Myun noodle (buck wheat). Separate noodle chunks before boiling them.  In about a minute, take out one string and if it is chewy, turn off the heat and wash under cold water.

 

Serve

In a big bowl, place noodle, and add meat slices, daikon mixture, cucumber, pear piece, and half of a boiled egg. Pour cold soup base over it until noodle is 2/3 covered with soup.

Serve with vinegar and yellow wasabi, not green wasabi. (We call Gyeu-Ja) 

Alternatives: There are instant Neng-myun packages in a Korean market.  It is certainly easier…

Recipe: Sinseollo (신선로)

Sinseollo is also called yeolgujatang. During the Yeonsangun era of the Joseon dynasty, a government official named Jeong Hui-ryang was sent into exile to Ui-ju. When he came back, he went into the deep mountain to become a monk out of the fear of more severe purge of scholars. In the mountain, he made a brazier and cooked assorted vegetables with it. After he died, the brazier that he invented was called sinseollo. The container and the food are called same name.

Beef shank, beef brisket, and radish are boiled together, sliced, seasoned, and placed on the bottom of sinseollo mold. Then, slices of raw beef are placed. Upon the raw beef slices, pan-fried fish, pan-fried liver, pan-fried manyplies, watercress seasoned with vinegar, shiitake mushroom, carrot, and pan-fried egg strips are placed. For garnishes, walnuts, gingko nuts, pine nuts, and meatballs are put on the top. Then beef broth is poured onto them. The container is heated with charcoal fire under the container. The dish is eaten while being heated on the table.

* Shrimp is rich in physiologically active substances such as betaine and taurine. Also, it is a nutritious food rich in protein and calcium.

Ingredients

Beef shank and brisket 150g, beef stomach 150g, radish 200g, carrot 100g, beef round 150g, tofu 50g, white-meat fish (for pan-fried) 50g, tripe 50g, liver 100g, watercress 50g, 4 eggs, 5 manna licen mushrooms, 3 shiitake mushrooms, 1 red pepper, 3 walnuts, 12 gingkos, pine nuts 1 tsp, buckwheat flour 2 Tbsp, sesame powder 1 tsp, salts, black pepper, clear soy sauce, oil, flour

Meatball seasonings: salts 1 tsp, chopped green onions 2 tsp, chopped garlic 1 tsp, sesame oil 1 tsp, black pepper

Soup seasonings: clear soy sauce 2 tsp, chopped green onions 4 tsp, sesame oil 2 tsp, black pepper

Directions

1) Wash the shank and brisket lumps with cool water. Boil until meats are tender. Take out the meat, cut into thin pieces, and season. Dip the stomach in boilng water briefly. Scratch the black films off and trim. Put it back into water and boil. While boiling, put the whole radish and carrots. Take them out when half cooked. Cool down the stock. Skim the fat to make jang-guk.

2) Mince the beef round. Season a portion of the minced beef with beef seasonings. Combine another portion with crushed tofu, and season with meatball seasonings. Make 1.2cm-size meatballs. Coat with flour and egg water, and pan-fry.

3) Cut the white fish meat into thin slices to make pan-fried fish. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Rub the tripe with salt one by one. Wash it, make incisions, and sprinkle black peppers. Coat with flour and egg, and pan-fry. Cut the liver into thin slices. Rub with salt to remove blood, wash, take out the water dry cloth. Coat with the mixture of buckwheat flour and sesame flour, and pan-fry.

4) Trim and skewer the watercress. Coated with flour and egg water, and pan-fry.

5) Separate eggs into yolks and whites and mix with salts. Make yellow egg strips with yolks. Make white egg strips with half of the strips. Mix another half of whits with minced manna lichen mushrooms to make black-colored egg strips. (One egg is used for coating, the other three are for strips)

6) Moisten the shiitake mushrooms (prepare big ones).

7) Soak the walnuts in hot water, and skin with toothpicks. Roast gingkos, skin by rubbing with paper on them. Trim the pine nuts are trimmed.

8) Remove the seeds from the red pepper, cut into even length.

9) Cut the egg strips, pan-fried watercress, pan-fried food, shiitake, and carrots into diamond shape. (The length of the ingredient would be the size of the width of the mold, and the width would be approximately 3cm.)

10) Cut the beef shank, brisket, and radish into thin slices, and season with soup seasonings. Place them at the bottom of sinseollo mold. Place the seasoned beef, and then the diamond-shaped ingredients by matching colors. Arrange the walnuts, Gingkoes, pine nuts, and meatballs for toppings.

11) Season the beef stock with clear soy sauce and salt. Prepare it warm before pouring. Serve with a charcoal fire on the firepot in the middle of the container.

Recipe: Samgyetang(삼계탕)

This is a good recipe during summer with Bean noodle and Neng-myun. Water should be cold, and if you like it really cool, add ice cubes.  Not recommended to people or kids who don't like distinctive bean smell.  

Ingredients to bring back home

Traditional Korean ingredients and spices for cooking Korean dishes include: Gochujang (red pepper paste), Gochugaru (red pepper powder), Doenjang (soybean paste), Sesame oil, Ginseng, Gingko nuts, Dates and Rice wine. These items are available for purchase anywhere in Korea.

Samgyetang

Koreans eat Samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) during the hottest months of summer because it enhances virility. It is easy to make anywhere with all of the necessary ingredients. Special ingredients, such as Ginseng and Jujubes (dried dates) are important for taste and appearance.

Ingredients

1 whole small chicken, 1 Ginseng root, 1/3 cup glutinous rice, 3 dates, 4 chestnuts, 6 cloves of garlic, a small piece of ginger, half sliced onion, 1 bunch of scallions, salt, ground pepper.

Direction

• Cut the abdomen of the chicken lengthwise. Remove the organs, tip of the wings and neck optional, but leave the body whole.

• Wash the glutinous rice, and soak it for about an hour. Wash and prepare the dates and chestnuts for cooking.

• Stuff the soaked glutinous rice along with the cloves of garlic into the chicken. Sew the ends to keep the rice inside the chicken. Cross the legs, and tie them with string.

• Place the chicken in a pot and pour in about 4 cups of water. Place the Ginseng root, chestnuts, dates, ginger, onions and scallions in the pot and cook under medium heat for about 40 minutes.

• When the ingredients inside the chicken are fully cooked, remove the scallions, onions, and ginger. Finish by seasoning the broth with salt and pepper.

• Serve unseasoned. You can add salt and pepper to your preference, but some cooks add salt immediately before serving.