Noodle Journey Episode 107: Nongshim Doong Ji Naengmyeon with Chilled Beef Broth

It’s another hot summer day, so I’m breaking into something cold for Episode 107: Nongshim’s Doong Ji Naengmyeon with Chilled Beef Broth. I first saw this style of noodle in a video from Esther Choi, where she prepared naengmyeon for Sean Evans, and it piqued my interest. I’ve tried other cold noodles before, like Nongshim’s Guksu Soba and Paldo’s Bibimmen, but naengmyeon is new territory for me. These thin, chewy noodles are typically made with wheat, buckwheat, and potato starch, and they’re traditionally served in a tangy, chilled broth, often as a refreshing follow-up to Korean BBQ. This one swaps in a beef-based broth, which should make for a very interesting experience.

A three-pack runs about $6 at Walmart at the time of this review, though you might also find it at Asian grocery stores in similar packaging labeled simply “Doong Ji.” The sodium content is 630 mg per serving (1,260 mg for the whole pack), and there’s 14g of sugar in total. Inside you get extra-thin noodles, a soup base with soy sauce, garlic, beef extract, pear puree, vinegar, apricot, kelp, fish extract, and honey, plus a small dried flake packet with cucumber, radish, and a touch of green chili pepper. That is a ton of ingredients! Nongshim calls this two servings, but at 5.5 ounces it’s really more of a large single portion.

Noodles:
These extra-thin noodles have a nice chew and a bit of spring to them, holding up surprisingly well for such a delicate noodle. They’re slippery and long, which makes them a little tricky to eat, but that’s basically this style as I understand it.
• 7/10

Spiciness:
The green chili pepper in the flake packet barely registers; this is an extremely mild product.
• 1/10

Overall:
The broth is bright, tangy, and layered, with a balance of vinegar, sweetness, and umami that makes each sip a little different. The pear puree and apricot add a subtle fruity note that keeps it from being one-dimensional, while the kelp and beef extract round things out with depth. It’s light but still full of flavor, and the cucumber and radish from the flake packet bring a welcome crunch that contrasts the slippery noodles. The vinegar-forward profile gives it a refreshing edge perfect for a summer meal, but it’s also what might make it polarizing – if you’re not into tart broths, this won’t be your thing. For me, it’s enjoyable in smaller portions, though I can see it being a bit much to eat in one sitting without some fresh add-ins. It almost makes sense (this time) why Nongshim says this is two portions. Next time, I’d probably drop in thin-sliced beef or more cucumber to balance it out. As a seasonal option, it’s unique and worth trying at least once if you’ve never had this style of noodle before and the flavor profile piques your interest.
• 6/10