Korean Chilled Buckwheat Noodles with Spicy Sweet Korean Pear Red Chile Pepper Sauce and Thin Sliced Dried Cuttlefish!
The first time that I had Naengmyeon was at the DJK Korean BBQ and Tofu Restaurant in Las Vegas. I ordered the plain version, but the also had Hoe Naengmyeon on the menu. Hoe refers to thin sliced raw skate. Naengmyeon can be topped off with a variety of poroteins, tofu or vegetables. Many Korean chefs like to garnish naengmyeon with sliced daikon radish, Korean apples or a variety of other items. Many Korean chefs in Las Vegas do not garnish naengmyeon at all, because it is viewed as being an appetizer and because the noodles are so long that the waitress usually cuts the noodles at the table with kitchen shears. Most Korean recipes state that Korean buckwheat noodles are the correct noodle for this recipe. I have seen a few Korean recipes for naengmyeon that call for thin cellophane noodles too. Japanese soba noodles are made out of buckwheat and they have a pale color, when compared to traditional Korean dark buckwheat noodles. Either style of buckwheat noodle can be used to make this recipe, but the darker Korean buckwheat noodles are more authentic. I purchased a package of fresh Korean buckwheat noodles in Korea Town, Las Vegas. Korean pears are the same thing as asian pears. There is about ten different names for asian pears. Korean pears have a light sweet pear flavor that is very refreshing. There is no tomato in this red colored sauce! The red color comes from mildly spicy red chile peppers. Red jalapeno and red serrano peppers are the two best choices for making this sauce. If you want a very mild spicy heat, the remove most of the seeds and pulp from inside the peppers. If you like a spicier sauce, then leave the seed and pulp in the peppers. Most times I use a jar of pre-made Korean hot sauce for recipes out of convenience. Since this Korean noodle recipe is served chilled, a fresh made red chile is a better choice. There is a trick to making the spicy sauce for naengmyeon. The light colored ingredients should be pureed separately from the red colored ingredients, then the two purees are combined. That way the sauce will not become a light orange color. Be careful not to aerate the red chile puree, or it will become an orange color. The sauce becomes a dark red color after Korean red chile powder and mild chile powder are added to the sauce. Dried squid or dried cuttlefish strips are usually flavored with a hint of vinegar and salt. Dried squid strips are commonly sold as a snack for those who go our for a night of drinking alcoholic beverages in Korea. Dried squid or dried cuttlefish is a zero fat healthy high protein food item that really tastes pretty good! There is no fishy flavor or aroma. For this recipe, the dried cuttlefish is marinated in the spicy sweet sauce for a few minutes, so it becomes tender.
Spicy Sweet Korean Pear Red Chile Pepper Sauce For Naengmyeon: This recipe makes enough sauce for 2 to 3 servings! Place 1 chopped peeled and seeded Korean pear (asian pear) in a container. Add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Add 1/2 tablespoon of ginger paste. Add 1/2 tablespoon of Korean mustard or dijon mustard. Add 6 to 8 chopped garlic cloves. Add 3 tablespoons of small chopped onion. Puree the ingredients with an electric pureeing wand or with a food processor. Set the light colored puree aside. Heat 3 cups of water over high heat. Cut the stem end off of 12 to 14 red jalapeno peppers. Blanch the trimmed pepper in the boiling water for 1 minute. Drain the hot water off of the peppers and cool the peppers under cold running water. Split the peppers in half. Note: Scrape most of the seeds and pulp out of the peppers, if you prefer a mildly spicy sauce. Leave the seeds and pulp attached if you want a spicy flavored sauce! Coarsely chop the blanched peppers and place them in a container. Add 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey. (The amount of sweetness is a personal choice!) Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of thin soy sauce. Puree the ingredients with an electric pureeing wand or a food processor. Combine the light colored puree with the red colored puree. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds. Add sea salt and white pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of Korean red chile powder. (Chinese chile powder can be substituted.) Add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of Spanish paprika. Mix the ingredients together. Place the sauce in a refrigerator, till it becomes chilled.
Korean Buckwheat Noodles: Boil a pot of water over high heat. Add 1 portion of fresh Korean buckwheat noodles. Stir the noodles occasionally, till they become fully cooked. Drain the hot water off of the noodles. Add cold water and a few handfuls of ice cubes to the hot noodles in the pot. Stir the noodles by hand, till they feel like they have a firm chewy texture. Drain the ice water off of the noodles.
Ojingeochae Naengmyeon: Place the cold noodles in a mixing bowl. Add enough of the chilled spicy sweet Korean pear red chile pepper sauce to coat the noodles. Toss the ingredients together. Use a long tine carving for or chop sticks to twist the noodles so they look nice and place them in a large asian style noodle serving bowl. Place 1 small handful of thin sliced dried cuttlefish in a mixing bowl. A enough of the chilled spicy sweet Korean pear red chile pepper sauce to coat and marinate the dried cuttlefish strips. Place the sauced cuttlefish strips on top of the naengmyeon in the bowl. Garnish the Ojingeochae Naengmyeon with traditional Korean garnishes or serve it plain with no garnish. I used a conservative garnish of bias sliced green onion for the Ojingeochae Naengmyeon in the pictures above.
Like many of the recipes in this food blog, the flavor of this bowl of chilled noodles is hard to imagine. One taste and you will be hooked! The level of spicy heat of the red chile pepper colored sauce is much milder than it appears to be. The ojingeochae (dried cuttlefish) turns this naengmyeon into a healthy complete meal. Yum! ... Shawna
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