Korean Spicy Mixed Cold Noodles
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
The gochujang sauce grips tough, springy naengmyeon noodles rather than sliding off, and every strand carries the spicy-sour coating.
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Mixing the sauce 10 minutes ahead gives the sugar time to dissolve and the flavors time to even out. The noodles cook in well under a minute over high heat, and lifting them out the moment the strands separate keeps them from going soft. Rubbing them under cold water to strip the starch, then squeezing them hard, stops leftover water from thinning the sauce. Cucumber and Korean pear, crisped in ice water, cool the heat with crunch and light fruitiness, and half a boiled egg softens the chili's edge.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Julienne 1/2 cucumber and slice 1/4 Korean pear thinly.
Soak them in ice water for about 3 minutes, then drain and pat dry so they stay crisp without adding water to the noodles.
- 2
Mix 2 tbsp gochujang, 1 tbsp gochugaru, 1 1/2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp sesame oil until smooth.
Let the sauce sit for 10 minutes so the sugar dissolves and the flavor settles.
- 3
Bring a generous pot of water to a full boil, then add 2 servings of naengmyeon noodles.
Cook over high heat for 40 to 60 seconds only, lifting them out as soon as the strands loosen.
- 4
Rinse the cooked noodles several times in cold water, rubbing them firmly between your hands to remove surface starch.
Continue until the water runs clearer and the noodles feel cold, then squeeze out moisture thoroughly.
- 5
Add the sauce to the drained noodles first, then toss by lifting and turning with chopsticks so the strands separate.
Stop when the color is even and no watery sauce collects at the bottom.
- 6
Taste the noodles, and if the seasoning seems uneven, toss again from the bottom of the bowl where sauce gathers.
Top with cucumber, pear, and 1 halved boiled egg, then serve immediately while cold.
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