[Food] Hwe-Naengmyeon (회냉면, Korean Cold Noodle with Fermented and Seasoned Raw Sole on Top)

[Food]

[Food] Korean Cold Noodle with Fermented and Seasoned Raw Sole on Top

Jumunjin Port, Gangwon province (North-East Region), South Korea

Jumunjin is a very quiet, small port city in Gangwon province (North-East), South Korea. The city is famous for its Squid Festival (every summer) and as a filming site of many Korean dramas and K-pop music videos.

Raw flounder dish

As in other Korean port cities, the people of Jumunjin are very familiar with raw fish and seafood. They don't enjoy raw fish just by itself, but with cold noodles and spicy sauce too. Today, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite restaurants famous for Hwe-Naengmyeon (Korean cold noodle with fermented and seasoned raw sole on top).

Entrance of the restaurant. It just looks like a modern Korean house

Kitchen of the restaurant where everything is cooked

Menu, it's not expensive

Guideline for eating hwe-naengmyeon
1. Put as much mustard/vinegar/sugar as is desired
2. Pour meat broth onto the noodle to be mixed with the sauce
3. In case of buckwheat noodle, there’s no need to cut. In the case of sweet-potato noodles, it is convenient to eat them when cut 2-3 times.

Autographs of Korean celebrities who visited the restaurant

Appetizer. Traditional thin buckwheat pancake. A unique dish of Gangwon province.

Crispy outside, Chewy and soft inside.

Hwe-Naengmyeon. Thin and elastic noodle. Well-fermented and sweet, accompanied by spicy raw sole.

Raw sole's bones were intentionally left to give a crispy, hard and chewy flavor. On the other hand, its flesh is so tender as it is soaked in sauce, which some people dislike because of the bone and uncooked flesh.

Professional cold noodle cooks are reputed by the quality of the noodle; softness, chewy, elasticity etc.

Meanwhile, I’ve heard that cold noodles are one of the most unpopular Korean dishes for non-Koreans. I understand why (maybe, like cold soup, cold noodles are not familiar to non-Koreans), but it's worth a try! :)

Bon Appétit!