Busan Milmyeon (Korean Cold Wheat Noodles)
Busan milmyeon is a cold noodle dish unique to the city of Busan, built around chewy noodles made from wheat flour and starch served in a thoroughly chilled beef bone broth. The broth is made by simmering beef bones for a long time, then chilling it until the solidified fat can be skimmed cleanly from the surface, which produces a clear, lean broth that is savory without being heavy. A mound of spicy-sweet chili paste placed on top of the noodles introduces a sharp kick that cuts through the cold and stimulates appetite even on the most sweltering days. The noodles are softer and more yielding than the buckwheat strands used in pyongyang-style naengmyeon, and they absorb the beefy broth with each bite. Cutting the noodles with scissors and alternating between sips of cold broth and bites of dressed noodles is the local eating ritual that distinguishes milmyeon from other cold noodle dishes. Half a boiled egg and thin cucumber slices form the standard garnish, and a splash of vinegar and a dab of mustard on the table allow each diner to adjust the flavor balance to taste. The dish traces its origin to the wartime period of the early 1950s, when refugees displaced to Busan during the Korean War began making cold noodles with wheat flour as a substitute for the buckwheat they could no longer obtain from the north.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Season broth with vinegar and sugar, then chill until very cold.
- 2
Mix gochujang with a little water to make a smooth sauce.
- 3
Julienne cucumber and thinly slice pear for toppings.
- 4
Boil noodles and rinse repeatedly in cold water to remove starch.
- 5
Place noodles in bowls, add sauce, then pour in chilled broth.
- 6
Top with cucumber, pear, and boiled egg.
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Nutrition (per serving)
Goes Well With
Crispy Mushroom Tangsu (Sweet & Sour)
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Roasted Mushroom Perilla Potato Salad
Potatoes are boiled skin-on and roughly mashed with a fork to keep a mix of fluffy interior and chunky structure rather than a smooth puree. King oyster mushrooms are torn lengthwise into thick strips and pan-roasted in olive oil until chewy and deeply savory, developing color on the cut surfaces. Perilla seed powder and Greek yogurt create a nutty, creamy binder that unifies the two main components without masking their individual flavors. Shredded perilla leaves release their bold, anise-like fragrance across the entire plate, while lemon juice and minced garlic cut through the richness and sharpen the overall aroma. Two distinctly Korean aromatics, perilla seed and perilla leaf, give the familiar potato salad format a flavor profile that diverges significantly from its Western counterpart. The salad is best at room temperature, where the potato texture stays fluffy and the mushrooms hold their chew; if refrigerated, pulling it out 30 minutes before serving restores the right consistency.
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