It’s only the start of June with the promise hot forecast and with little relief from my 800 BTU air conditioner I am more likely to cool down with a nice bowl of naengmyon. Naengmyon is a thin noodle made of buckwheat submerged in cold beef broth, a cool solution to the heat waves. Dae Dong located on 17 West 32nd Street, New York, boasting of their specialty one can absolutely expect a huge bowl of mouth watering coolness to enjoy this summer.

Couple of tips for those that are new to naengmyon, while buckwheat is the primary ingredient it’s taste and texture is not similar to soba, also the beef broth which it is served with has a mild beef taste amid a tangy and sweet flavor. Accompanying the noodles and broth are, thinly sliced Asian pear, cucumber, pickled daikon, half a hard boiled egg and slivers of beef (typically the same used to make the broth). Once the naengmyon arrives you want to mix it all up, particularly spread the noodles, to prevent from clumping. Most Koreans like to splash a little bit of vinegar and some yellow wasabi mustard, I find that both add a bit of kick, but if it is your first time, I would taste, it might not need any additional flavoring.

Despite the fact that the cold noodles are certainly enough of a meal by itself, traditionally Koreans eat galbi (BBQ short ribs) with the naengmyon usually one serving for two people.

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Dae Dong offers different styles of naengmyon, the basic starts at $10.99 comes with sides, I also recommend trying the Bibim naengmyon which is a dry noodle mixed spicy sauce.

Korean Midtown west