In Korea, spicy cold buckwheat noodles (Bibim Naengmyeon) are as popular as the cold buckwheat noodle soup (Mul Naengmyeon) that I posted last time. I got many requests for this and mul naengmyeon over the years. Finally, I can post both of those two good recipes in a row, so I am very happy. Bibim means mixing something, naeng means cold, and myeon means noodle. We use the same toppings as mul naengmyeon: pickled radish, pickled cucumber, meat, hard-boiled egg, and Asian pear. An easy way to make this dish is to buy a package that has the noodles and sauce. However, if you make this the authentic way, it takes time and effort. Of course, the taste can’t be beat, plus it is healthier to make food at home. You can freeze the sauce and use it later. Summer is gone, but I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did.
Yield: 4 Cups
Short Korean Lesson
- ToGgi (토끼) = Rabbit
- GoYangI (고양이) = Cat
Video Instructions
Main Ingredients
- Buckwheat Noodles for NaengMyun
- Some Cooked Beef (2 Pieces for each Serving)
- Some Hard Boiled Eggs (Half Piece for Each Serving)
- 1 Asian Pear (3 Slices for Each Serving)
- Some Pickled Radish
- Some Pickled Cucumber (4 Pieces for Each Serving)
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ Cup Asian Pear
- ¼ Cup Onion
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Green Onion
- 1 Hot Pepper
- ⅓ Cup Red Pepper Powder
- 2 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
- 3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
- ½ Cup Crushed Pineapple from a Can
- ⅛ Cup Korean Cider or Ginger Ale
- ¼ Cup Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Wine (Optional)
Directions
Prepare ½ cup worth of an Asian pear, ¼ cup worth of an onion, 6 garlic cloves, 1 green onion, and 1 hot pepper. Chop them into chunks so that it is easier to grind them.
In a mixer, add the prepared vegetables, fruits, and the rest of the ingredients for the sauce except the sesame seeds: ⅓ cup red pepper powder, 2 Tbsp red pepper paste, 3 Tbsp brown sugar, 3 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp salt, ½ cup crushed pineapple from can, ⅛ cup Korean cider or ginger ale, ¼ cup vinegar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp sesame oil, and 1 Tbsp cooking wine (optional).
Grind everything together until it become smooth and fine.
Pour the sauce into a glass storage container and add 1 Tbsp of sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly.
Keep the sauce in the refrigerator for at least 1 or 2 days before serving. This way, the flavors in the sauce combine.
Slice some cooked beef thinly. You can cook the beef any way you like, but you can get some ideas from my mulnaengmyeon recipe for cooking beef also.
For the topping, prepare some pickled radish and pickled cucumbers ahead of time. You can check my other posts for these recipes.
Cut the hard-boiled egg in half and slice an Asian pear thinly. These also will be used as toppings.
When the broth and toppings are ready, cook the right amount of buckwheat noodles in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Follow the instruction from the buckwheat noodle package you have.
Rinse the cooked noodles in cold water twice and drain the water.
On a serving plate, place some noodles and pour 2-3 spoons of sauce on top.
You can also mix the noodles and sauce before you put the noodles on a plate.
Put some pickled radish on top of the sauce.
Then, garnish it with the pear, pickled cucumber, beef, and egg.
Sprinkle some sesame seeds on it. If you are a vegetarian, you can skip the beef. You can also use an apple instead of the Asian pear if you cannot find Asian pears. Sweet and sour sauce tastes great with the buckwheat noodles and various toppings. I love this dish. Please try it someday and let me know the result. Thanks. 🙂
This looks delicious! Summer is gone here but it doesn’t matter, I will definitely be making this recipe very soon. Thanks for posting!
hi Caroline,
you are right.. it is still good in cold weather.. hehe thanks
roses are red, violets are blue, this dish is AMAZING!!!! just like you 😉
😀 😀 😀
miss you! pinch bryson’s cheeks for me.
*hugs*
hi Farleen,
hoho you are cute and sweet ~~ thanks my friend. I think that bryson’s cheeks are read from me pinching his cheeks for you. =P jk.. Have a great weekend.
Great recipe! Can’t wait to try it. At the korean supermarket, they only sold NaengMyun noodles with seasoning packages. Can I purchase the noodles without the extra seasoning packages?
Thanks! =)
hi Annie,
Sorry but I don’t know if they have just noodles as you want. ^^;;
Hi,
I was at a Korean market yesterday, and I saw that they sold the naengmyun noodles WITHOUT the seasoning. It was great since I was buying them for this and didn’t need the broth seasoning.
The one I bought (without seasoning) is Assi brand, and it says “without soup.” It’s written only in Korean though, which looks like this: 스프없는 냉면
Hope this helped~
hi YeonJi,
Oh.. that’s helpful for Annie.. thanks 🙂
No problem. I made this dish a few days ago. Wow. It was amazing! The sauce was so good that my entire family had it again the next day and again today. I think we’re all addicted to your recipes ^^;
thank u sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much for this recipe
hi lisa p,
You are welcooooooooooooooooooome.. hehe
This looks sooo ono (delicious)! I knew the sauce was much more complex than just kochujang, vinegar, and soy. BTW, what kind of mixer are you using? It looks so convenient. Mahalo.
hi csyama,
My mixer is BRAUN … I like it. 🙂 thanks
hey I like your detailed step by step instructions with video, and I bet it tastes good too!
hi breadman tr875,
Thanks.. yep..it tastes good too.. try it someday.
thank you thank you 😛 finally, i have the recipe for this!! oh, i cant wait to make it. the sauce looks soooo yummy 😉 muaxxx, thanks again!!!!!
hi layping,
hehe.. try it..and don’t forget to take pictures for me. 😉 thanks
Hi Aeri,
Thank you for this recipe! Over the years, I’ve prepared a lot of Korean dishes but I’ve never really put any effort into trying to make this one authentically. I’ve only ever “cheated” my way through it. Most of the other dishes I’ve made or understood how to get to the final product but this one eluded me! Thanks again!
I made this today using your recipe. It turned out really well. I had it once at restaurant before (I am not Korean) and I’ve been craving it especially since the weather been so hot.
I also made soondubu the other day also using your recipe and that turned out really well too!
Anyhow! Thanks for posting this and your other recipes as well.
Hi Aeri! I LOVED this!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Do you think I can freeze the sauce?
hi Aya,
Yes, you can freeze the sauce. I froze mine and ate later. Just make sure that the taste changes slightly if you keep it for a long time.
Hi Aeri!
I was wondering, how do I make this spicy version but with some broth added (not as much as the amount of broth in mul naengmyun)? Thank you!
hi Jessica Park,
How about add some of ice on your noodles with the sauce.. when the ice melt it will give some broth to it and it will make your noodles extra cold.. 🙂
Perfect! I found just in time, coz i am tired of the factory made sauce now all i need is to have the buckwheat noodle in hand, to make it anytime i want … 고맙습니다 !
cool.. try it.. hope you like it. 🙂 Thanks.
Aeri-ssi, can I sub Korean cider with Rice Vinegar instead of ginger ale? What is in Korean cider?
hi Narita Y,
Korean cider is not vinegar.. it is a soda drink.. so you can use ginger ale or Sierra Mist..they are similar with Korean cider.. thanks
I made this recipe, including the poached beef and pickled radish. Absolutely delicious! I didn’t know what went in the sauce, as my mom never made it when I was growing up. Now I know how to make this! Many thanks! I order this in restaurants a lot, but now I can make it at home. 🙂
hi BlissBunny,
It is very exciting to hear that somebody got success to try my recipes. Thank you very much. ^^