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Soba

Bibim-naengmyeon (spicy cold buckwheat noodles)

Korean cold noodles made from buckwheat, sweet potato starch and wheat. They’re scrubbed under cold water and iced until really chewy, then dressed in a sweet-hot sauce ground with pear. A soba alternative to the rice-noodle stir-fries — cold and spicy instead of the pad see ew.

2 servings~30 min + 2–3 h to freeze the broth
Bibim-naengmyeon (spicy cold buckwheat noodles)

Mise en place — set out in the order it goes in

  1. Slushy broth
    Slushy brothpacket + water, frozenStep 1
  2. Pear matchsticks
    Pear matchsticksin sugar waterStep 3
  3. Cucumber
    Cucumberthin matchsticksStep 4
  4. Spicy sauce
    Spicy sauceground until creamy, chilledStep 5
  5. Iced water
    Iced waterfor the last rinseStep 8
  6. To top
    To topground sesame · ½ egg eachStep 9

Prep order — what happens when, and what overlaps

h:mm
0:000:301:001:302:002:303:00
Broth into the freezer 5 min
Freeze till slushy 2 h 30
2 h 30
Sugar water, pear, cucumber 10 min
Grind the sauce, chill 7 min
Boil noodles 8 min
Scrub, ice rinse 4 min
Assemble 3 min
Bowl / counterHands-offBoardPan / stove

No time to freeze? Mix the packet with 1 cup cold water and 10–12 ice cubes and keep it in the freezer while you do the rest — then it’s about 30 minutes in all.

Step by step

  1. Broth base plus water, into the freezer until slushy.
    Broth base plus water, into the freezer until slushy.

    1Freeze the broth

    2–3 h (or ~20 min)

    For this step

    • Broth base packet (comes with the noodles)1 package
    • Water (for the broth)480 ml (2 cups)
    • Mix the broth base with the water and freeze for 2–3 hours, until slushy.
    • Short on time: broth base + 240 ml (1 cup) cold water + 10–12 ice cubes, in the freezer while you prepare everything else.
    Freeze the broth
    Should look like this
  2. Sugar water

    2Sugar water

    1 min

    For this step

    • Cold water (sugar water)240 ml (1 cup)
    • Sugar (sugar water)1 tsp

    Stir the sugar into the cold water — the pear matchsticks soak in it so they don’t brown.

  3. Peel, halve and core the pear; half for the sauce, half cut into matchsticks.
    Peel, halve and core the pear; half for the sauce, half cut into matchsticks.
    Drop the matchsticks into the sugar water so they don't brown.
    Drop the matchsticks into the sugar water so they don't brown.

    3Pear

    ~4 min

    For this step

    • Korean pear (or 2 bosc pears)1 — half in the sauce
    • Peel the pear, halve it and core it.
    • Keep one half for the sauce. Cut the other into thin matchsticks and drop them into the sugar water.
    Pear
    Should look like this
  4. Cucumber into thin matchsticks, about 10 cm long.
    Cucumber into thin matchsticks, about 10 cm long.

    4Cucumber

    ~4 min

    For this step

    • English cucumber1

    Cut the cucumber into thin matchsticks about 10 cm long.

    Cucumber
    Should look like this
  5. Everything into the processor with the half pear; grind until creamy.
    Everything into the processor with the half pear; grind until creamy.

    5Grind the spicy sauce

    ~5 min
    • Put the reserved half pear in the food processor with:
      • garlic 2 cloves
      • ginger ½ tsp
      • onion 2 tbsp (~20 g)
      • green onions, chopped 2
      • korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru) 25–30 g (¼ cup)
      • hot pepper paste (gochujang) 2 tbsp
      • soy sauce 1 tbsp
      • kosher salt 1 tsp
      • sugar (sauce) 2–3 tsp (see notes)
      • rice syrup 60 ml (¼ cup)
      • white vinegar 2 tbsp
      • toasted sesame oil 2 tsp
    • Grind until creamy, then refrigerate until needed.
    Grind the spicy sauce
    Should look like this
  6. Into boiling water, stir with a wooden spoon, cover 3–5 minutes.
    Into boiling water, stir with a wooden spoon, cover 3–5 minutes.

    6Boil the noodles

    high3–5 min

    For this step

    • Dried naengmyeon noodles2 portions
    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the noodles and stir with a wooden spoon.
    • Cover and cook 3–5 minutes. Taste one: there should be no hard bits at all. If there are, 1 more minute.
    Boil the noodles
    Should look like this
  7. Rub and scrub the noodles with both hands under cold water.
    Rub and scrub the noodles with both hands under cold water.

    7Scrub under cold water

    ~2 min
    • Drain and rinse under cold running water.
    • Rub and scrub the noodles with both hands to get the excess starch off — they should turn chewy and cold.
    Scrub under cold water
    Should look like this
  8. Last rinse in iced water — don't skip it.
    Last rinse in iced water — don't skip it.

    8Ice-water rinse

    ~1 min

    For this step

    • Ice cubesa tray
    • Last rinse in a big bowl of cold water with ice cubes — don’t skip it.
    • Drain and divide between the two shallow bowls.
    Ice-water rinse
    Should look like this
  9. Icy broth into the bowl, sauce on the noodles, pear, cucumber, sesame and half an egg.
    Icy broth into the bowl, sauce on the noodles, pear, cucumber, sesame and half an egg.

    9Assemble

    For this step

    • Toasted sesame seeds, ground~35 g (¼ cup)
    • Hard-boiled egg1
    • Pour some of the icy broth into each bowl.
    • Spoon the spicy sauce over the noodles — as much as you like.
    • Pile on the drained pear and the cucumber.
    • Heap the ground sesame over the top and add half an egg to each bowl (see boiled eggs).
    Assemble
    Should look like this
  10. Mix everything up before you dig in.
    Mix everything up before you dig in.

    10Serve

    • Serve right away.
    • Mix everything up before you dig in.
    Serve
    Should look like this

Based on: Maangchi — Bibim-naengmyeon (cold, spicy, chewy noodles)