Naengmyeon with Soft Boiled Eggs
By Sarah Entwistle, @supperbysarah_
Naengmyeon with Soft Boiled Eggs
By Sarah Entwistle, @supperbysarah_
Yield/Serves:
4-6
Rooted in Korean culinary tradition, naengmyeon is the ideal dish for cooling off on a hot summer night. This refreshing noodle soup features a flavorful combination of chicken and beef broth that creates a rich, gelatinous texture. While making your own stock is always a great option, store-bought broth works just as well for a quick weeknight meal. It’s perfect for serving a crowd; you can add various meats to elevate it to main course status and customize the toppings based on what produce you have on hand. The broth has a balanced sweetness and tang, so be careful not to over-season. For convenience, I recommend preparing and freezing the broth in advance, making it easy to assemble the meal whenever you’re ready to eat.
Special Equipment:
- Strainer
- Quart containers (optional)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2-inch piece ginger
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 packet unflavored gelatin
- 1 pack pickled radish with brine*
- 1 lb naengmyun noodles*
- 1 English cucumber
- 2 Asian pears*
- 4 to 6 eggs
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 12 ice cubes
- Optional: mustard oil (for serving)*
Season and chill the broth
Drain the package of pickled radishes, reserving the pickled brine liquid. In a medium pot, bring the chicken and beef stock, whole scallions, ginger, and garlic to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir the gelatin into 1/4 cup water and let stand for 1 minute; once softened, stir into the broth until dissolved. Add the reserved pickled radish brine; taste then season with salt if desired. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof container (I like to use quart containers) and refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours.
Remove the broth from the refrigerator and skim fat from the surface. Transfer to the freezer until frozen, at least 12 hours. About an hour before you’re ready to serve, remove broth from the freezer, and let soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Microwave broth on high in 30-second intervals until partially defrosted. Using a butter knife, break partially frozen broth up into ice shards. Using the back of a spoon, crush ice shards into a wet slush texture.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Thinly slice the pickled radish crosswise into half moon shapes. Evenly slice the cucumber on a bias into thin rounds. Add the eggs to the pot of boiling water and cook for 7 minutes, or until soft boiled. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Let cool for at least 5 minutes; carefully peel and cut each egg in half lengthwise and season with salt. Halve the pears and and remove the core; thinly slice crosswise into half moon shapes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Add the noodles and cook, according to package directions (typically 3 to 5 minutes). Strain and rinse the noodles in cold running water until they are cooled and no longer slippery. Divide the drained noodles into shallow bowls. Pour the icy broth into each bowl of noodles. Top with the pickled radishes, sliced cucumbers, sliced pears, soft boiled eggs, and a few ice cubes to keep it cold. Garnish with the sesame seeds and top with mustard oil, if desired.