Bibim Myeon Image Used Under Creative Commons License From mulpix.com
Citizens, a rare guest chef is in the house! 🙂
My friend Hubert is one of the most talented home chefs I know, and a technical guru to boot – a potent combination indeed here in Silicon Valley!
I’ll let his recipe for this classic Korean dish amply illustrate his kitchen ninja skills! 🙂
Koreans have a whole range of spicy noodle dishes, in this case a cold dish made with very thin noodles called somyeon with added flavorings, is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine which is especially popular during summer.
There are many kinds of cold noodle dishes in Korea, including one made with cold beef broth; however, spicy cold noodles have historically been appreciated by spice-loving people in Korea and recognized internationally.
What makes this dish so distinct from other cold noodle dishes from different cultures is the strong spicy flavor. Most spicy cold noodles are prepared with a slight touch of sesame oil to enhance the richness of its flavor.
Typically the dish contains beef, julienned cucumbers, and other garnishes which are mixed together with the cooked noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and sugar. Garnishes placed on top and around the spicy noodles include hard-boiled eggs, pickled mu, dried gim strips, sliced cucumbers, and sometimes sliced Korean pear or tomato.
This is a superb recipe from Hubert’s vast repertoire – a man of many exceptional talents and unmatched integrity. I urge you to try it forthwith, my Citizens! 😀
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintHubert’s Cold Korean Noodles With Bulgogi – 비빔면
Ingredients
- Bulgogi (불고기):
- 1 lb of thinly sliced beef sirloin – partially freeze the meat to make it easier to cut very thin
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of rice syrup (preferred) or sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions or chives
- 2 tbsp minced garlic.
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds (grilled, preferably)
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- Garnishes:
- Cucumber
- Korean pear-apple (preferred) or pear
- Egg
- Sauce:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of gochujang (Korean pepper paste)
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- Korean buckwheat (somyeon) noodles
Instructions
- Prep marinade, mix, add meat, leave for 30mn minimum, and grill – because the meat is very thin, grilling is a short process. It’s better to brown both sides, and move on. This should be quick. One doesn’t need one of the Korean grilling device, I’ve done it on a flat iron plan. Don’t mind if the syrup and sauce will burn+stick a bit.
- Don’t put all the meat and sauce at once. We don’t want things to be “soupy”, or you won’t have the BBQ taste.
- Once done, put some aluminum foil on top, and we’ll use the meat later.
- Cut cumcumber and korean pear into “matchsticks” about 1mm thick and 10cm long. Wrap to prevent oxydation, we’ll use later.
- Make a soft-boiled egg: Boil water. Once water is boiling, put the egg in for 7.5mn EXACTLY. When the time has passes, leave the egg for 1-2 mn in cold water. Make sure there’s enough water to keep things cool. Ice cold is good. Peel, slice and use it later for plating
- Cook the noodles following the directions on the package. Duration will vary from seconds to minutes depending on the noodle’s thickness and type. Mine had to be boiled and stirred only for 40 seconds (no more, or they’ll become saggy). Also, wait until the water is boiling before putting the noddles in. Stir during the whole cooking time.
- I highly recommend boiling in some kind of straining recipient because it makes it easier to move the noodles out.
- When the cooking is done, move the noodles into a large recipient filled with cold water (I add ice cubes). This will prevent them from being saggy or overcooking. You rinse them to remove all the gluten to avoid stickiness. Then you can make a bun by wrapping the noodles around your fingers, like you would do with small electric cables. You could leave them messy, but I just can’t do that. Lol.
- Once you have one or two buns of noodles in the bowl, add:
- The sauce
- The cucumber sticks
- The pear sticks
- The egg
- The meat
- And voila! Enjoy and share!
- Note: Koreans will typically cut noodles with scissors and mix everything (bibim means “mix”) before eating with chopsticks and spoons.
