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Naengmyon

Here’s an unusual dish: a grand cold soup that is essentially a whole meal. (You might, if you have the inclination and want to be wholly authentic, serve with Kong Namul, page 182; Black Beans with Soy, page 432; or other panchan.) Pickle the cucumber and daikon in advance if you can or substitute kimchi. Though this dish contains some chiles, it is not meant to be blazing hot, so use mild long red chiles if you can find them or the more common long green (Italian frying, or Anaheim) peppers.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds beef brisket
2 pounds beef bones
1 carrot, peeled
10 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon white wine or rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce, plus more for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 pound Korean buckwheat and potato starch noodles or Japanese buckwheat (soba) noodles
1 cup Lightly Pickled Cucumber (page 455)
1 cup daikon kimchi, diced, or sliced daikon, pickled as for Lightly Pickled Cucumber (page 455)
1 Asian pear or Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated
2 fresh long red chiles or long green Italian peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 or 4 hard-cooked eggs (page 338), peeled and cut in half
About 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, preferably Korean
Hot mustard, like Colman’s, for serving

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the first 6 ingredients in a pot with water to cover; bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture simmers. Cook, partially covered, for about 2 hours, or until the meat is quite tender; add water if necessary to keep the meat covered. Transfer the meat to a plate; cover and refrigerate. Strain the broth and chill for several hours or overnight; skim off excess fat. You should have about 2 quarts of stock. Add water to make 2 quarts if you have less; if you have more, that’s fine. Add the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and salt and pepper if necessary; taste and adjust the seasoning the broth should be delicious on its own.

    Step 2

    Set a large pot of water to boil and add salt. Cook the noodles until tender, just a few minutes. Drain, then run under cold water until cool; drain again and set aside.

    Step 3

    Put a portion of noodles in each of 6 to 8 large bowls; spoon a portion of broth over them. Thinly slice the beef and put a few slices in each bowl. Garnish with a bit of cucumber, daikon, pear, chile, and 1/2 egg sprinkled with salt and hot red pepper flakes. Serve with mustard and soy sauce.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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