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Bibim naengmyeon in spicy sauce

냉면 · Naengmyeon

Naengmyeon

냉면

What exactly is it?

Naengmyeon covers both cold noodle soups and dressed noodles. Buckwheat-rich strands can be tender and aromatic; starch-heavy ones are much springier. The name alone does not tell you whether the bowl is spicy or how chewy its noodles will be.

Main ingredients

Buckwheat or starch noodles, cold broth or chili dressing, radish, cucumber, meat and egg

Ordering and serving

Choose mul for broth or bibim for dressed noodles. Scissors help shorten long strands. Taste the broth before adding the mustard and vinegar supplied alongside.

Origins and changes

Dongguksesigi records naengmyeon as a winter food. Northern preparations using buckwheat or potato starch with radish-water kimchi or meat broth spread southward; it is now also a summer restaurant staple.

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Naengmyeon

냉면

Main ingredients
Buckwheat or starch noodles, cold broth or chili dressing, radish, cucumber, meat and egg
Flavor and character
Naengmyeon covers both cold noodle soups and dressed noodles. Buckwheat-rich strands can be tender and aromatic; starch-heavy ones are much springier. The name alone does not tell you whether the bowl is spicy or how chewy its noodles will be.
How to eat it
Choose mul for broth or bibim for dressed noodles. Scissors help shorten long strands. Taste the broth before adding the mustard and vinegar supplied alongside.
Read about this dish →

Mul naengmyeon

물냉면

Main ingredients
Buckwheat or starch noodles, chilled meat or radish-kimchi broth, radish, cucumber, egg
Flavor and character
Noodles sit in chilled broth beneath radish, cucumber and egg. Some bowls arrive with slushy ice. Broths range from meat-forward to sharply refreshing with radish-water kimchi, so two bowls labeled mul naengmyeon can taste quite different.
How to eat it
Cold broth may still contain beef, pork or chicken stock after the meat garnish is removed. If avoiding chili, ask whether the spicy seasoning can come separately.
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