Jinju Naengmyeon (진주냉면, Seafood-Broth Cold Noodles)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large 6-quart pot
• •Fine strainer and clean cloth or cheesecloth
• •Shallow freezer-safe container for broth slush
• •Nonstick skillet for jidan and yukjeon
• •Chilled stainless steel naengmyeon bowls
• •Kitchen scissors

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the broth

   Put the cold water and beef in a large pot and bring it slowly to a bare simmer over medium heat. Skim for 10 minutes, because this is where a clear cold broth is won or lost. Add the kelp, anchovies, dried pollack, dried shrimp, and dried mussels if using. When the pot returns to a simmer, cook 10 minutes, then pull out the kelp before it turns the broth slick and bitter.

   Take the heads and dark guts from the anchovies. Dried seafood gives Jinju naengmyeon its spine, but bitterness is not depth.
2. 2

   Simmer and strain

   Simmer the dried seafood 25 minutes total, then lift it out with a strainer. Keep the beef simmering until tender, about 60 minutes total from the first simmer. Remove the beef and save it for another meal, or slice a little for the bowl if you like. Strain the broth through a fine strainer lined with cloth. You should have about 8 cups; add cold water to reach 8 cups if it reduced too far.

3. 3

   Season and chill

   Cool the broth, then refrigerate until the fat firms on top, at least 6 hours and better overnight. Lift off every bit of fat you can see. Stir in 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt. Taste it cold. It should read a little saltier and sharper than soup, because noodles and ice will quiet it. If it disappears on the tongue, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, wait 2 minutes, and only then add the final 1/4 teaspoon if needed.

   Freeze 1 cup of the seasoned broth in a shallow container until slushy at the edges. Scrape that into the bowls at serving. Plain ice waters down the work you did.
4. 4

   Pickle the radish

   Toss the sliced radish with 1 teaspoon salt and let it sit 10 minutes. Drain off the liquid, then mix the radish with 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons cold water. Chill at least 30 minutes. The radish should bend and snap lightly under the teeth; it is there to cut through the broth, not to taste like candy.

5. 5

   Make the jidan

   Separate 2 eggs into yolks and whites. Beat each with a tiny pinch from the measured 1/2 teaspoon salt. Wipe a nonstick skillet with a little oil and cook the yolks and whites separately over low heat in thin sheets. Do not brown them. Cool, roll, and cut into fine threads. Jidan (egg garnish) is small work, but it makes the bowl look cared for.

6. 6

   Pan-fry the yukjeon

   Season the sliced beef with the remaining salt and the black pepper. Dust each piece very lightly with flour or potato starch, shaking off the extra, then dip in the 2 beaten eggs. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry the beef in a single layer, about 45 to 60 seconds per side, until the egg coating is set and the edges are lightly golden. Cool on a rack, then cut into 1/2-inch strips. Hot yukjeon on cold noodles is bad manners to the broth.

7. 7

   Prepare the bowls

   Chill four stainless bowls if you have them. Set out the pickled radish, cucumber, pear, jidan, yukjeon, sesame seeds, mustard, vinegar, and cold broth before the noodles go into the pot. Naengmyeon is assembled quickly or it becomes a lesson in soggy noodles.

8. 8

   Boil the noodles

   Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Cook the buckwheat naengmyeon noodles according to the package, usually 40 to 60 seconds for fresh or frozen noodles and 3 to 4 minutes for dried. Stir as they cook so they do not clump. Drain immediately and rinse under cold running water, rubbing the noodles between your hands until they feel cold and squeaky. This washes away surface starch, which is the difference between clean chew and gummy rope.

9. 9

   Assemble and serve

   Drain the noodles hard and divide them among the chilled bowls, coiling each portion neatly. Pour about 1 3/4 cups cold broth into each bowl, including some scraped slush. Arrange pickled radish, cucumber, pear, jidan, and yukjeon on top, then scatter a small pinch of sesame seeds. Serve at once with Korean mustard and extra vinegar on the side. Cut the noodles with scissors at the table if needed.

Chef Tips

• •This is a safe place to use commercial buckwheat naengmyeon noodles. It is not a safe place to use warm broth, skip the fat skimming, or boil the noodles ahead. Those shortcuts change the bowl.
• •If you cannot find dried mussels, use 12 scrubbed littleneck clams instead. Add them for the last 6 minutes of broth simmering, remove them as soon as they open, and discard any that stay closed.
• •Make the broth stronger than you think. Cold dulls salt and aroma, and the noodles carry water from rinsing no matter how well you drain them.
• •Yukjeon should be thin. Ask the butcher for 2mm slices, or freeze the beef 30 minutes and slice it yourself. Thick beef makes the topping heavy, and this bowl already has enough to say.
• •Do not bury Jinju naengmyeon under mustard and vinegar before tasting. Serve them on the side. The first spoon should tell you what the broth is.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the broth 1 to 2 days ahead. Chill it hard, remove the fat, then season it cold. The broth also freezes well for 1 month before seasoning.
• •Pickle the radish up to 2 days ahead and keep it refrigerated. The cucumber and pear are better cut the day you serve.
• •Jidan can be made in the morning and kept covered in the refrigerator. Yukjeon can be pan-fried up to 4 hours ahead and cooled; do not place it hot on the noodles.
• •Boil the noodles only at the last moment. Cooked naengmyeon noodles do not wait politely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 950g)