Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

Korean-style cold buckwheat noodles served in a delicious chilled broth. We made this homemade broth from Kombu seaweed, dried anchovies, and juices from white kimchi. This is a light, refreshing, and the perfect meal to eat on a hot day.

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Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (1)

We are still experiencing hot temperatures during these last several days of summer. And this chilled noodle bowl is a perfect meal to cool you off. There are many different variations of Korean cold noodles recipes online. There are even some packages of noodles that include pouches of premade broth. These pouches of premade broth are popular in Korea for a really quick and easy meal.

Homemade broth

We made our own homemade broth for this recipe. Making this broth is worth it and it really doesn’t take that much extra time to make it. We are using Kombu seaweed, juices from a batch of white kimchi, and dried anchovies to make an umami filled and slightly tangy broth. Just remember, you will need to prepare this broth a little ahead of time to allow it to chill before assembling the noodle bowl.

Key features and tips

We highly recommend using the liquid from a batch of white kimchi for this recipe. You can use our recipe here if you’re up for the task of making a batch of white kimchi for yourself. You won’t be disappointed and you will be able to use it for this recipe and have it ready to go every time you have a kimchi craving. You might be able to get a similar result by mixing up some water, salt, and white vinegar or rice vinegar in a pinch instead of using the liquid from a batch of white kimchi. However, we have not tested that out yet ourselves, so we can’t confidently recommend a substitute for the white kimchi liquid at this time.

Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (2)

We top these cold noodles with sliced white kimchi, fresh cucumbers, carrots, and green onions. This is a very light and mild cold noodle bowl. It’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t tolerate spice well, and is even good for children. If you’re wanting a spicy cold noodle bowl, be sure to check out our Korean Cold Noodles with Spicy Sweet and Sour Gochujang Sauce recipe.

Ingredients needed to make this cold buckwheat noodle bowl

Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (3)

How to make these cold Korean noodles

Step 1: Hard boil the eggs

First, let’s prepare the eggs. We want hard-boiled eggs for this recipe. Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes, remove the eggs and place in a cold-water ice bath. Once the eggs are cooled, cut them in half and set aside for later.

Step 2: Make the clear broth

Put water, dried anchovies, kombu seaweed, and salt in a medium/large-sized pot and place it on the stove burner, and set the temperature to high heat. Once the broth comes to a boil, remove the anchovies and kombu seaweed and discard. Turn off the heat and remove the broth to cool.

Once the broth is cooled, add the juice from the white kimchi, rice vinegar, and sugar. Stir well.

Step 3: Cook the noodles

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Once noodles are cooked, rinse the noodles with cold water.

Step 4: Top the noodles with fresh vegetables and enjoy

To serve, place a serving of noodles into a bowl and pour some of the cold broth on top of it. Place a serving of cucumbers, carrots, green onions, and white kimchi on top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

We hope you enjoy our Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth recipe!

Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (4)

Want more noodle recipes?

  • Korean Cold Noodles with Spicy Sweet and Sour Gochujang Sauce
  • Best Korean Warm Noodle Soup
  • Upgraded Instant Ramen Recipe Hack

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Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (5)

Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Korean-style cold buckwheat noodles served in a delicious chilled broth. We made this homemade broth from Kombu seaweed, dried anchovies, and juices from white kimchi.

Ingredients

  • 4 servings buckwheat noodles
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
  • 1 cup pickling cucumber, julienned
  • ½ cup carrots, julienned
  • ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 4 large-sized dried anchovies
  • 2 2-inch pieces (15g) Kombu dried seaweed
  • 1 cup white kimchi, thinly sliced (see our recipe)
  • 1 cup liquid from white kimchi
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp white sugar
  • 5 cups of water
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 cayenne chili pepper (optional), thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. First, let’s prepare the eggs. We want hard-boiled eggs for this recipe. Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes, remove the eggs and place in a cold-water ice bath. Once the eggs are cooled, cut them in half and set aside for later.
  2. Put water, dried anchovies, kombu seaweed, and salt in a medium/large-sized pot and place it on the stove burner, and set the temperature to high heat. Once the broth comes to a boil, remove the anchovies and kombu seaweed and discard. Turn off the heat and remove the broth to cool.
  3. Once the broth is cooled, add the juice from the white kimchi, rice vinegar, and sugar. Stir well.
  4. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Once noodles are cooked, rinse the noodles with cold water.
  5. To serve, place a serving of noodles into a bowl and pour some of the cold broth on top of it. Place a serving of cucumbers, carrots, green onions, and white kimchi on top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Add sliced cayenne chili pepper if you want a bit of spice, this is optional.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

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Korean Cold Buckwheat Noodles in a Chilled Broth – Asian Recipes At Home (2024)

FAQs

What are cold buckwheat noodles called? ›

“Bibim” means mixed and “Naengmyeon” means cold noodles. Naengmyeon originated in North Korea. The noodles are made from buckwheat, arrowroot, and/or potato starch, and there are different kinds of Naengmyeon noodles that have different ratios of these ingredients.

What are Korean cold noodles called? ›

naengmyeon

What kind of vinegar do you use for naengmyeon? ›

Arrange noodles in deep bowls. Spoon slushy broth all around and top with pickled radishes, cucumber, Asian pear, eggs, chilled poached brisket, and remaining sliced scallions. Serve, passing rice vinegar and mustard or mustard oil at the table for diners to season to taste.

How do you eat cold buckwheat noodles? ›

Zaru soba is the simplest way to eat soba (zaru is a bamboo sieve on which the soba are served). After boiling the noodles you chill them well and dip them in a thin cold broth before eating them. You can add such ingredients as spring onion, white sesame, and wasabi (Japanese horseradish) to the broth if you like.

What does Korean cold buckwheat noodles taste like? ›

Naengmyeon (Cold Buckwheat Noodles)

Well, there are two varieties— spicy bibim (“mixed”) naengmyeon and mool (“water”) naengmyeon. The first is a flavor bomb— fiery, tart, and savory all at the same time. The second, mool naengmyeon, is refreshing, because the broth is served ice cold.

What are Korean buckwheat noodles called? ›

Mul naeng myun 물 냉면 is a traditional Korean chilled dish of buckwheat noodles in a vinegary, subtly sweet broth that has been cooled down with ice cubes.

Why do Koreans eat cold noodles? ›

Cold noodles like naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon, for instance, are popular in the summertime, while cold soups like mool naengmyeon are enjoyed all year long. In Korea, people prefer cold foods for cultural reasons. One reason is that the summers in Korea are hot and humid, and cold food can cool you down.

What is the most popular noodle dish in Korea? ›

Japchae or chap chae is one of the most popular noodle dishes in Korea and seems to be the one that newbies to Korean food accept readily. The foundation of the dish is a mixture of noodles, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame oil.

What is the English name for naengmyeon? ›

What is naengmyeon? Literally translated into cold noodles, naengmyeon is a cold noodle dish of thin, chewy noodles that are made with buckwheat and potato or sweet potato starch.

Do you drink naengmyeon broth? ›

Mul-naengmyeon 물냉면

Especially on hot summer days like these, I really feel my body cools right down after I slurp the cold noodles and drink the leftover cold icy broth. The cold broth is tangy, savory, and a little sweet and the noodles are soft but chewy at the same time.

What is naengmyeon broth made of? ›

It's a mixture of a lightly seasoned beef broth and Dongchimi brine, which is a non-spicy radish water kimchi. The brine is pickled, slightly sweet and soooo refreshing. Since people don't normally just have Dongchimi made, most people just buy the pre-made naengmyeon packets that have the icy broth.

Why do Koreans eat cold noodles in winter? ›

If eaten in hot broth, the noodles would instantly dissolve. In order for the noodles to hold their shape, they must be served with cold broth or with ice. Back then, Koreans didn't have refrigerators like they do today. Therefore, the only time ice could be found would be during the winter.

Why are Korean noodles so chewy? ›

The noodles are made from a mixture of wheat flour and starch, which gives them their unique chewy texture. In Korea, Jjolmyeon is a beloved dish that is often eaten during the hot summer months.

What do Korean cold noodles taste like? ›

But it turns out that it's actually quite delicate in flavor which is why it's so refreshing to eat on hot summer days. The cold broth is salty and sour while the noodles are nutty, creating the perfect base for sweet, spicy and crunchy toppings.

What is a cold soba dish called? ›

Zaru Soba (ざる蕎麦) is a traditional chilled noodle dish made from buckwheat flour and served with soy sauce-based dipping sauce called Tsuyu (つゆ). The word zaru means “a strainer” in Japanese and the name of the dish was derived from the way the noodles are served over a bamboo strainer during the Edo Period.

What is another name for buckwheat noodles? ›

Soba is a variety of Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour whose origins date back to the Middle Ages.

What is the Japanese cold soba called? ›

Mori/Zaru Soba (cold)

The most basic kind of chilled soba served on a tray with a simple chilled dipping sauce (tsuyu) served on the side. The dipping sauce is usually a mixture of soup stock, water and mirin.

What is the difference between soba and naengmyeon? ›

The noodles for naengmyeon are Korean buckwheat noodles that look a bit like soba but are somewhat different in texture — Korean buckwheat noodles are usually made with some wheat flour and sweet potato starch, as well, for a springier, chewier noodle than soba.

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