-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-
with the Family
Additional tweaks: I julienned the dongchimi (bottom left) and flash-pickled cucumbers in salt (bottom right).
Another try at homemade mul naeng myeon, again with canned broth from Apgujeong Myeonok (see most recently 12.187 Mul Naeng Myeon), this time paired with noodles from CJ’s new Pyongyang Mul Naeng Myeon kit.
On the package, the label claims that the noodles pull apart easily – i.e., as opposed to typical noodles from such kits, which tend to be sticky and rubbery in the Hamheung style.The kit comes only with noodles and broth, no toppings or condiments, which is fine, as I make my own; I opened one of the broth packages for a taste and confirmed that it’s tangy.While the instructions merely recommend separating the noodles before boiling them, this is a critical step that must be taken; the cook time is only 50 seconds, not enough to separate the noodles in the water; without the pre-separation, the noodles will come out clumpy.A new toy: portable triple burner stove with extending legs – though it may not be as powerful as it looks/sounds – will need to conduct a time test against my other stoves.
The MNM turned out okay. The noodles were softer, mellower, tastier all around than the 100% buckwheat noodles from last time, but still not adequate. Stay tuned.