Cold Korean Black Soba or Chik Naeng Myun

Ok, when I say that I probably have eaten more chik naeng myun than any other person on the planet in the last 15 years, I'm being more  accurate than most would believe.  I would gladly and on occasion have eaten this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and craved it again late at night. Only Mr. Choi the owner of Yu Chun restaurant in Honolulu that introduced me to this variation of Korean soba has more knowledge and maybe a slight edge in appreciation (although I doubt it) of this dish.

First allow me to "school" you on naeng myun.  It is the dish that is one of the most Korean of dishes.  You might argue kimchi, but kimchi is now eaten all over the world, and to say that pickled vegetables are the bastion of one culture is a losing argument.  

Naeng myun in Korean literally translates into "cold noodle". Now, my research has shown that very few asian or any cultures for that matter have many cold noodle dishes.  Most noodles, pastas, etc around the world are served hot, inside soup, drowned in rich sauce, or stir fried. Koreans and Japanese do enjoy soba noodles and naeng myun cold.  How cold is the big question? I'll get to that soon......

Naeng myun noodles like their soba cousins are mostly made from buckwheat powder, which gives them their unique chewy texture, and grey color.  Anyone that knows the fiber content of said grain will tell you it's extremely high in fiber, and digests very slowly.  This makes naeng myun among the healthiest of noodles one can ingest, and later ahem.....excrete.  The high fiber is great for your colon, and the slow release of carb sugars is a much healthier alternative to any white flour noodles that tend to spike one's blood sugar and thus releases too much insulin.  The variation that I have come to really appreciate is chik naeng myun that is a variety made mostly from arrowroot.  It gives the noodles an even chewier texture, earthy aroma, and the black-purple coloration that is it's trademark.  Like most true pasta lovers can really appreciate the unique qualities of squid-ink pasta; chik noodles hold the equivalent reverence among true naeng myun lovers. 

I have eaten chik naeng myun in my hometown of Honolulu, LA, Seoul, Sydney, Singapore, and Manila. Most chik naeng myun I've eaten was in a chain of Korean restaurants called Yu Chun. However, recently in Singapore and Manila I have found very very good copycats at Seoul Garden at the Esplanade in SG, and BiWon on P.Burgos street in Makati.  

The noodles are only part of the equation.  The yook-soo or cold beef soup broth that is served slurpee style (ice cold) along with the fresh cucumber, garlic chili paste, shredded Korean bbq-beef, and hard boiled egg all combine to give your mouth a tremendous taste EXPLOSION! Nothing in my eating life has turned out to be sooo good and SOOOO addictive.  

Everyone has asked themselves if I could only eat one dish for the rest of my life what would it be?  I would have to walk down the aisle with Chik naeng myun.