Chilled Summer Beef Noodles Recipe

Chilled Summer Beef Noodles Recipe

(Korean Recipes)

200g dried wheat or buckwheat (soba) noodles

6 cups beef stock

250g brisket or chuck beef

1 inch ginger, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

8 inch square dried kelp (konbu), washed

1¼ teaspoons salt

½ large nashi pear (about 300g), peeled and sliced into thin strips

2 hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise

Japanese mustard, to serve

Rice vinegar, to serve

Seasoned Vegetables:

3 small Japanese cucumbers, sliced into thin, long strips

125g daikon radish (about 2 inch), sliced into thin, long strips

2 pinches of salt

Pinch of minced garlic

Pinch of ground red pepper (optional)

Pinch of sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Prepare the vegetables by seasoning the cucumbers with a pinch of salt.  Set aside.  Season the daikon with a pinch of salt, garlic, ground pepper and sesame seeds, and set aside.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, reduce the heat, drop in the noodles and simmer for 1 minute.  Drain, then refresh the noodles immediately in a container of ice water.  Place the beef stock, brisket, ginger, onion and garlic in a pot and bring to a boil.  Cover, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the dried kelp and continue to simmer for an hour, or until the beef is tender.  Discard the kelp, add the salt and remove from the heat.  Leave the beef in the soup until cooled, then remove and slice it thin.  Set the beef aside.  Strain the soup and place both the soup and the beef in the refrigerator to chill.  When the soup is cold, skim off the layer of fat on the surface.  Portion the noodles into 4 large bowls and garnish with the sliced beef, nashi pear and eggs.  Top each bowl with the seasoned cucumbers and daikon, then pour the chilled soup over the noodles.  Serve with Japanese mustard, vinegar and soy, accompanied with side dishes.