Mul-Naengmyeon (물냉면) – Cold Noodle Soup with Beef Broth

Mul-naengmyeon is thin, chewy buckwheat noodles in an ice-cold broth. You cook the broth from beef, season it with vinegar, sugar and salt, and put it in the freezer until ice crystals form. On top lie slices of the beef, half an egg, cucumber, Asian pear and pickled radish. At the table you season further with hot mustard and vinegar.

By Laura Chen· November 4, 2026

1 Std 10 Mintotal

4servings

600kcal

KoreanCuisine ›

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Plan the broth a day ahead. It has to stand cold for several hours so you can lift off the fat as a solid layer. The noodles cook in 3 to 4 minutes. Afterward you wash them between your hands under cold water until the starch is gone and they feel smooth. In Korean restaurants the server cuts the long noodles with scissors, and at home you do that in the bowl.

The spicy, cold sister dish with thicker noodles is called jjolmyeon. After a barbecue, naengmyeon is often served with bulgogi. The mild white kimchi baek kimchi goes with it.

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Mul-Naengmyeon (물냉면) – Cold Noodle Soup with Beef Broth

Name: Mul-Naengmyeon (물냉면) – Cold Noodle Soup with Beef Broth
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 500 g beef brisket or top rump; 2.5 l water; 1 onion, halved; 1/2 leek; 5 garlic cloves; 1 piece ginger (2 cm), sliced; 1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang); 4 tbsp rice vinegar; 2 tbsp sugar; 2 tsp salt; 200 g radish, in thin slices; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes); 400 g naengmyeon noodles (dried buckwheat noodles); 2 eggs, hard-boiled and halved; 1/2 salad cucumber, in fine sticks; 1/2 Asian pear, in thin slices; 1 tsp white sesame seeds; 4 tsp hot mustard; 4 tbsp rice vinegar

Laura Chen

Servings

Prep time

30 minutes

Cook time

1 hour 40 minutes

Calories

600

Cuisine

Korean

Ingredients

For the broth:

500 g beef brisket or top rump
2.5 l water
1 onion, halved
1/2 leek
5 garlic cloves
1 piece ginger (2 cm), sliced
1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt

For the radish:

200 g radish, in thin slices
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)

To serve:

400 g naengmyeon noodles (dried buckwheat noodles)
2 eggs, hard-boiled and halved
1/2 salad cucumber, in fine sticks
1/2 Asian pear, in thin slices
1 tsp white sesame seeds
4 tsp hot mustard
4 tbsp rice vinegar

Instructions

Put the beef in cold water for 30 minutes so the blood draws out. Pour the water away.
Bring the meat, 2.5 l water, onion, leek, garlic and ginger to a boil and skim off the foam. Simmer everything over low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the radish with the vinegar, sugar, salt and gochugaru and chill it.
Take out the meat, wrap it in plastic wrap and cool it. Pour the broth through a sieve, and you need about 1.5 l.
Season the broth with soup soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt. Chill it in the fridge for 3 hours, then lift off the solid fat.
Pour the broth into a shallow container and put it in the freezer for 1 hour, until ice forms at the edge. Slice the meat thinly.
Cook the noodles according to the package, usually 3 to 4 minutes. Drain them and wash them between your hands under cold water until they feel smooth.
Twist the noodles into nests in 4 bowls. Arrange the meat, radish, cucumber, pear and half an egg each on top and pour in the ice-cold broth. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and put mustard and vinegar on the table.

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Mul-Naengmyeon (물냉면) – Cold Noodle Soup with Beef Broth

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