A dish that originated in the Joseon period in North Korea, naengmyeon consists of chilled buckwheat noodles, perfect for cooling you down on hot Korean summer days.
There are two varieties, mul naengmyeon and bibin naengmyeon. Mul naengmyeon (also known as Pyeongyang) has a lightly-flavoured chilled broth, while bibin naengmyeon (also known as Hamheung) has a spicy chilled broth and is a fire-red colour to match. Both noodle dishes come with sliced beef, an egg, cucumbers and pears on top. The noodles should be presented and slurped up whole (not cut) as a long noodle represents longevity in life.
It’s not hard to find these popular dishes in Korea, but here’s a naengmyeon restaurant in Seoul that’s close to Eujiro-ga subway station.
Make naengmyeon at home from scratch with this chilled-out video recipe
Another recipe with chatty presenters
And here’s yet another recipe! It’s easy to pick up this dish’s main ingredients – for example, you can stock up on soba noodles at Tesco for £1.49.
