Andong Geonjin-guksu (Rinsed Banquet Noodles)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Rolling pin at least 18 inches long, or pasta machine
• •Large stockpot for boiling noodles
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Sharp knife for cutting noodles and garnish
• •Large colander

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Put 8 cups water, the prepared anchovies, kelp, onion, and scallion whites in a pot over medium heat. When the water comes to a gentle simmer, pull out the kelp right away so it does not turn the broth slick or bitter. Simmer the anchovies, onion, and scallion whites for 15 minutes more, then strain. Season with 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Taste it cold later before adding more salt, because chilled broth tastes flatter than warm broth.

   For a special table, replace half the anchovy broth with a clear broth made from sea bream bones and head, gently simmered 20 minutes. Keep it clean and light; geonjin-guksu is not a heavy fish soup.
2. 2

   Chill and season

   Cool the strained broth, then refrigerate it until cold, at least 1 hour. Taste again and adjust with up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt if it tastes dull. Add 1 teaspoon rice vinegar only if the broth needs a small clean edge. The broth should be savory and quiet, not sour. Let the noodles speak too.

3. 3

   Knead the dough

   Sift the wheat flour, roasted soybean flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a wide bowl. Stir in 3/4 cup warm water with chopsticks, then knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and firm. Add extra water only 1 teaspoon at a time. Soybean flour makes the noodles tender and nutty, but too much water makes them tear when you roll them thin.

4. 4

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough and let it rest 30 minutes at room temperature. This is not idleness. The flour hydrates, the gluten relaxes, and the dough rolls without fighting you. Notebook 41 says the dough should feel like an earlobe after resting: soft enough to press, firm enough to spring back.

5. 5

   Prepare the toppings

   Put the beef in a small pot with enough water to cover and simmer gently until cooked through, about 18 minutes. Cool, shred thinly, and season with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic. Salt the julienned cucumber with 1/2 teaspoon salt for 10 minutes, squeeze dry, and leave it crisp. Beat the egg whites and yolks separately, cook each in a thin sheet with a little oil, then cut into fine jidan (egg garnish) threads. These small cuts are the guest's welcome, so don't make them lazy.

6. 6

   Roll and cut

   Dust the work surface lightly with flour. Roll the dough into a sheet about 1.5 mm thick, thin enough to see the shadow of your hand but not so thin it tears. Dust, fold loosely, and cut into noodles about 2 mm wide. Shake them open and dust lightly. This dish lives or dies by this cut: thick noodles make it ordinary kalguksu, and these are banquet noodles.

7. 7

   Boil the noodles

   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop in the noodles, stirring right away so they do not cling. Boil 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the center no longer tastes floury. Do not cook them in the serving broth. Geonjin means they are lifted out, rinsed, and then given clean broth, which is why the bowl stays clear.

8. 8

   Rinse them cold

   Drain the noodles and rinse under cold running water, rubbing them gently between both hands until the surface starch is gone and the strands feel clean and springy. Drain hard. This rinsing is the name of the dish, not a small preference. Skip it and you lose the clear broth and the fine texture.

9. 9

   Assemble the bowls

   Divide the cold noodles among 4 bowls and pour about 1 1/4 cups chilled broth into each bowl. Arrange the seasoned beef, cucumber, yellow and white jidan, scallion greens, sesame seeds, and gim if using. Serve at once, before the noodles swell. 손맛 is real; I measure it anyway, so the next person can put the same guest's bowl on the table.

Chef Tips

• •Use roasted soybean flour that is finely ground and fresh. Old soybean flour tastes dusty, and this noodle has nowhere to hide it. If yours is coarse, sift it and measure after sifting.
• •A pasta machine is an honest modern tool here. 시대가 바뀌면 음식도 바뀌어야 해요. When times change, food must change too. Use the machine to roll evenly if you have one, but still cut the noodles narrow and rinse them properly. The machine is a safe corner. Thick cutting is not.
• •Keep extra flour light when dusting. Too much loose flour clouds the boiling water and clings to the noodle surface, which means more rinsing and a duller bite.
• •If you serve it in cold weather, the same noodles can be placed in warm clear broth, but do not boil them in that broth. The rinsing is still the spine of the dish.
• •The broth can be anchovy-kelp for a home table or sea bream for a more formal Andong-style guest bowl. Either way, keep it pale, strained, and restrained.

Advance Preparation

• •Make and chill the broth up to 2 days ahead. Taste and adjust the salt only after it is cold.
• •Cook and season the beef up to 1 day ahead. Keep it covered in the refrigerator so it does not dry out.
• •Cut the jidan and cucumber up to 4 hours ahead and keep them chilled. Roll and cut the noodles the day you serve them; fresh hand-cut noodles lose their clean spring if they sit too long.
• •The dough may rest in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours. Bring it back toward room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling, or it will crack at the edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 620g)