Naengmyeon & Bulgogi
Bulgogi is a Korean dish made with marinated barbecued beef, although chicken and pork may also be used. The dish is made by marinating thin slices of sirloin or other prime cut of beef in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and other ingredients such as scallions or mushrooms. Sometimes cellophane noodles are added to the dish.
Bulgogi literally means "fire meat" which refers to the method of cooking. It is traditionally grilled, but pan-cooking is common as well. Garlic and sliced onions are often grilled or cooked at the same time. This dish is sometimes served with lettuce or other leafy vegetable, which is used to wrap a slice of cooked meat, often along with ssamjang, a thick spicy paste.
Naengmyeon which literally means "cold noodles" is a popular dish enjoyed by Koreans in the summer. It originates from the northern part of Korea which is now North Korea.
The noodles are made from buckwheat and is served in a large stainless bowl with finely sliced vegetables, a slice of Korean pear, a boiled egg and cold beef. Spicy mustard and vinegar are added before consumption.
Two kinds of naengmyeon, mul naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon are most popular. Mul naengmyeon is served as a cold soup with noodles contained in broth while bibim naengmyeon is served as more of a salad in a spicy dressing made primarily from gochujang or red chili paste.
Other variants include hoe naengmyeon which is served with raw rish and chili pepper dressing and yeolmu naengmyeon which is served with yeolmu kimchi, a baby radish kimchi.
Sometimes people refer to mul naengmyeon as Pyongyang naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon as Hamhung naengmyeon from which the two most famous varieties are said to come from.
