Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Pyongyang Naengmyeon
Chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, clear beef-and-radish broth, topped with pear, egg, and pickles.
North Korean · advanced · serves 4
prep 40 min · cook 120 min
~802 cal · 60g protein · 68g carbs · 33g fat · 10g fiber · 4g sugars · 12g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pyongyang naengmyeon is the celebrated cold noodle dish of North Korea, chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, clear beef-and-radish broth, garnished with sliced meat, pickled radish, cucumber, and a boiled egg. Refreshing and subtly flavored, it is a summertime and celebration classic.
The dish hails from Pyongyang, where the mul-naengmyeon (water-based, in cold broth) style is prized for its clean, restrained flavor and springy buckwheat noodles. The chilled broth, sometimes served slushy with ice, is a revelation on a hot day.
Eaten across the Korean peninsula, naengmyeon is a proud specialty of the north, valued for its cooling, delicate character.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1.5 lb beef brisket (for broth)
12 oz buckwheat naengmyeon noodles
1/2 Korean radish (mu)
1 cucumber
1/2 Asian pear, grated
2 cups dongchimi (watery radish kimchi) with its brine
to taste Asian mustard with vinegar
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 egg, halved
Instructions
1
Simmer the brisket (or kombu and shiitake) with aromatics for 1.5 to 2 hours into a clear broth, then chill it very cold and skim off the fat.
✎ Chef’s note
The broth must be served ice-cold and clear, so make it ahead and chill it thoroughly. Skimming the fat while cold keeps it clean and refreshing.
2
Quick-pickle the radish and cucumber in vinegar, sugar, and salt.
3
Boil the buckwheat noodles briefly, then rinse under cold water until icy and springy.
✎ Chef’s note
Rinsing the noodles hard under cold water washes off surface starch and tightens them, giving naengmyeon its signature chewy, cold spring.
4
Mix the chilled meat broth with the dongchimi brine to taste, then coil the noodles into chilled bowls and pour the ice-cold broth over (add a few ice cubes).
✎ Chef’s note
The dongchimi brine is what makes it Pyongyang naengmyeon rather than beef noodle soup: the UNESCO listing describes the broth as meat stock flavoured with tongchimi, and the sourness and faint fizz of the radish kimchi is the whole character of the bowl.
5
Top with the pickled radish, cucumber, pear, egg (or extra radish), a few pine nuts, and mustard-vinegar to taste.
Pyongyang tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Pyongyang. Pyongyang is the home of naengmyeon, chewy buckwheat noodles served in an icy broth with pear and mustard. Northern Korean cooking is milder and less chili-driven than the south, with dumplings, cold dishes, and pine nuts.
🗺️
North Korea. Pyongyang naengmyeon is defined by restraint. The broth is a clear, subtle beef stock, sometimes blended with chicken, pork or pheasant, the noodles carry a high proportion of buckwheat, and the toppings are sparse, against the sweeter or chilli-paste versions found elsewhere on the peninsula. Mustard and vinegar go in at the table, and traditionally the noodles are not cut.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from North Korea
OnbanA Pyongyang bowl of warm rice in chicken broth topped with shredded chicken and a mung-bean pancake.
Injo-gogi-bapSheets of soybean 'meat' stuffed with rice and topped with a spicy sauce, a resourceful North Korean street food.
Gangnaengi-tteokChewy steamed corn cakes lightly sweetened and often dotted with beans, a homely North Korean treat.
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Good to know
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a North Korea meal
SujeonggwaDrink
Gangnaengi-tteokDessert
Injo-gogi-bapLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pyongyang Naengmyeon?
Chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, clear beef-and-radish broth, topped with pear, egg, and pickles.
Where does Pyongyang Naengmyeon come from?
Pyongyang Naengmyeon is a North Korean dish from Pyongyang, North Korea.
Can Pyongyang Naengmyeon be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pyongyang Naengmyeon recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pyongyang Naengmyeon safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pyongyang Naengmyeon take to make?
About 160 minutes total (40 minutes prep, 120 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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