Ingredients

  • 350 g. (12.3 oz.) dried Naengmyeon Noodles, (Korean buckwheat noodles)
  • 150 g. (5.3 oz.) Beef Brisket, (see note)
  • 5 cups Water, (see note)
  • 50 g. (1.8 oz.) Daikon Radish, thinly sliced or julienned
  • 50 g. (1.8 oz.) Asian Pear, thinly sliced or julienned
  • 50 g. (1.8 oz.) Bosc Pear, thinly sliced or julienned
  • 60 g. (2.1 oz.) English Cucumber, seeds removed, thinly sliced or julienned
  • 1 Hard Boiled Egg, halved
  • 1 tbsp. roasted Sesame Seeds
  • ½ tsp. of Sesame Oil

Bibim Sauce

  • 20 g. (0.7 oz.) Asian Pear
  • 20 g. (0.7 oz.) Onion
  • ¼ cup reserved Beef Broth, (from step 1)
  • Water, (see note)
  • 3 tbsp. Gochugaru (Korean Red Pepper Flakes)
  • 2 tbsp. raw Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. roasted Sesame Seeds
  • 1 tbsp. Gochujang
  • 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
  • 1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. minced Garlic
  • 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
  • 1 tsp. fine sea Salt

Pickle Sauce

  • 2 tbsp. white Sugar
  • 3 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. Water
Instructions

  1. Soak the brisket in a bowl of water and set aside for 20 mins to draw the blood out. Drain the water. Add the water (5 cups) and the brisket into a medium to large pot, cover with the lid and boil them over high heat. Skim off any scum that forms. Once the water starts to rolling boil, reduce the heat to low-medium. Simmer until the brisket is tender and cooked (I boiled them for 1 hour total. This should result in about 3 cups of broth.) Take out the meat onto a plate. Cool down the meat and the broth for 30 mins. Cut off any stringy fat and thinly slice the brisket.
  2. Soak the radish in the radish pickle sauce. Set aside until the radish is softened (about 20 mins). Cover and refrigerate until you need them. FYI, the longer you pickle, the less bitter the radish becomes.
  3. Combine all the bibim sauce ingredients and blend until pureed. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
  4. Cook the noodles in boiling water until softened (about 2 to 3 mins). Stir often during boiling. The noodle texture should be chewy and bouncy. Drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold running water a couple of times to cool down. Drain the water quickly and divide the noodle portions for serving. Place the mound of noodles into a serving bowl.
  5. Place the sliced beef, radish pickles, cucumber, pear and boiled egg on top of the noodles. Add the bibim sauce on top. Drizzle some sesame oil and sparingly sprinkle roasted sesame seeds. (Refer above pictures for decoration ideas.) Serve immediately.
Notes

  • Step 1 to 3 can be done ahead of time (i.e. a day before noodle assembly). This helps develop more flavour in the sauce and keep them chilled longer. Also, it makes the workload “seem lighter” as the work is done over 2 days.

  • A classic version of bibim naengmyeon sauce is made with beef brisket broth or bone broth. However if you have a particular dietary requirement, you can skip the meat/broth together. Just use water. Though I find that sauce made with broth gives more depth of flavour and it is less spicy than the sauce made with water.

  • Any leftover broth can be used for other Korean cooking. It’s particularly suitable as a soup base.