Spicy cold buckwheat noodles

Did you know that eating spicy food will make you perspire, which will help cool your body down? This dish is surprisingly refreshing on a hot day.

Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  1:20 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1 624 g (1 lb 6 oz) packet dried Naengmyeon buckwheat noodles
• pickled cucumber (Oijang-ajji) (recipe here), to serve
• pickled radish (Musaengchae) (recipe here), to serve
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved and chilled
• toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Beef broth

• 300 g (10½ oz) beef brisket
• ½ onion, halved
• 1 green apple, halved
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2-cm (¾-in) piece of ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 spring onions (scallions), white parts only
• 1 tsp salt

Spicy sauce

• ½ Nashi or Asian pear, cored
• ½ onion, peeled
• 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) reserved beef broth
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 20 g (¾ oz/¼ cup) Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
• 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
• 1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil

Chilling time: 4 hours

Instructions

1. To make the beef broth, combine all the ingredients in a large stockpot. Add 3 litres (101 fl oz/12 cups) water and bring to the boil over high heat. Skim off any impurities that rise to the surface, then reduce the heat to medium–low. Cover with a lid (leaving it slightly ajar), and simmer for 1 hour, until the beef is tender. Remove the beef from the stock and set aside to cool to room temperature. Wrap the beef in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
2. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large airtight container. Reserve 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) of the broth to make the sauce. You can discard the rest of the broth or keep it to make Chilled buckwheat noodle soup.
3. To make the spicy sauce, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to a fine purée. Refrigerate until needed.
4. Take the beef out of the refrigerator and slice it thinly against the grain.
5. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Prepare an ice bath while the noodles are cooking. Once cooked, drain the noodles and immediately plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain, and place the noodles in a bowl.
6. Add the spicy sauce and toss until all the noodles are well coated. Divide the noodles among four serving bowls and top each with some pickled cucumber and radish, a few slices of beef and half a boiled egg. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and serve.

 

Recipe and images from Little Korea Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.