KOREAN HOT & COLD

If you think L.A.’s summers are bad, you’ve probably never experienced summer in Seoul. Temperatures can top 100, but the killer is the humidity. Going into a summer in Korea is like being invited to the devil’s sauna.

Given the brutal weather, Koreans have devised many ways to cope. There are two major theories. On one side are the people who believe that you can fight fire with fire. They think that if you eat hot and spicy food, you get more energy and can combat the listlessness that summer brings. Not only will you sweat more, but in contrast to the hot and spicy food you just ate, the outside temperature will also make you feel cooler.

My dad and his friends belong to this first camp. They take hot baths and eat the most fire-burning, chile-filled hot pots, dabbing beads of sweat from their brows as they do. I’ve seen some of the most fervent ones emerge from steaming saunas on sweltering days.

The other side believes that you should combat the heat with cold. They take cool baths, eat dishes drowned in ice and stay away from the more spicy foods.

I belong to the latter group. On any given summer day in L.A., I can be found with my portable ice shaver in one hand and an ice pop in the other, running to the nearest climate-controlled shelter. Not that I’m afraid of heat, mind you, but I’m no glutton for punishment.

When I’m feeling extra-lazy and irritable (i.e., I don’t feel like getting near a stove), I hop into my car, air-conditioner blasting me in the face, and head down to Koreatown to look for the familiar banners advertising naengmyon and pot bingsu.

There are two major types of naengmyon--mul naengmyon (which means “cold water noodles” in Korean) and bibim naengmyon (which is a spicy mixed noodle dish with pieces of raw skate).

Naengmyon was originally a winter food, eaten by those from the cold northern provinces of Pyongyang and Hamgyong.

People in Pyongyang province ate the predecessor to mul naengmyon. Their buckwheat noodles were served in beef stock with cold pheasant meat.

The bibim naengmyon from Hamgyong province was made with hot spices mixed with hamhung (flounder). The raw fish was salted and seasoned, then eaten bones and all. Today, bibim naengmyon is prepared with skate, which is easier to get.

Because of its refreshing coolness, naengmyon eventually evolved into the national summertime dish.

When Koreans speak of naengmyon, they are generally referring to the soup type. Usually served in large metal bowls with ice cubes clinking inside, mul naengmyon consists of noodles in a beef-based broth. It is garnished with cucumbers, pickled daikon and hard-boiled eggs. The crunchiness of the cucumber and pickled daikon complement the chewy consistency of the noodles. (Because the noodles can be so elastic and difficult to eat, the waitress will come and cut them for you with scissors.)

The cold metal of the dish feels wonderful against your palm as you lift it up to drink that wonderful broth.

Another popular chilled noodle dish is kong guksu--which is made with somen or other noodles in a beautiful white soy-based broth. A subtler flavor than naengmyon, kong guksu is another one of the joys of summer eating.

You can top off a cold meal with an order of pot bingsu if you’d like. Found in most cafes and bakeries throughout Koreatown, it is simply a pile of shaved ice mixed with sweet red beans, fruit cocktail, cooked rice powder and with a variety of brightly colored fruit syrups added for flavor.

Even though it may be a clash of fire and ice when my dad and I sit down for a summer meal--my cold noodles and his spicy soups--the one thing we can agree on is what we’re going to have for dessert: a nice bowl of ice cream shared between us.

Korean Cold Noodle Soup (Mul Naengmyon)

Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 3 hours plus 4 hours chilling

The beef stock for this soup is best prepared the night before so it can cool thoroughly and all the fat can be removed. The stock keeps better if there are no pieces of beef in it. Look for the soup stock at Asian markets and well-stocked supermarkets and the Korean noodles and Korean cucumbers at Korean markets.

2 pounds beef brisket

2 pounds beef bones

1 (1-inch) piece ginger root

10 to 12 Sichuan peppercorns

1 teaspoon dry mix bonito-type soup stock (dashida or hondashi)

Water

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 to 3 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Asian hot mustard (or hot mustard oil), optional

1 (26-ounce) package Korean buckwheat noodles (naengmyon)

2 small Korean cucumbers, sliced into thin strips

1 Asian pear, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

4 to 5 hard-boiled eggs, halved

* Combine brisket, bones, ginger, peppercorns and soup stock in large pot. Add 2 1/2 quarts water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer over low heat until water reduces to about 2 quarts, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Allow beef to cool then refrigerate; discard bones. Strain liquid through cheesecloth or very fine mesh strainer. Refrigerate beef stock 4 to 5 hours, place in freezer or cool over ice water until fat solidifies. Remove all fat from stock.

* Combine rice vinegar, salt and mustard in bowl. Add to beef stock.

* Cut cold beef brisket into thin 2x1-inch slices.

* Bring 2 to 3 quarts water to boil in large pot and add noodles. Boil about 3 minutes. Remove noodles from heat and rinse thoroughly in cold water to cool. Drain. Place noodles in 6 to 8 large bowls.

* Distribute beef stock and beef slices evenly among bowls. Add ice if desired. Garnish with cucumbers, pear slices and hard-boiled eggs. Serve immediately with Asian hot mustard, if desired.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 217 calories; 643 mg sodium; 137 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams protein; 0.99 gram fiber.

Cold Noodles in Soy Soup (Kong Guksu)

Active Work Time: 40 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours plus 4 hours chilling

For different flavors, substitute sesame seeds, peanuts or cashews for perilla seeds. All nuts or seeds used should be roasted. Perilla seeds, dried soy beans, somen noodles and Korean cucumbers are available at Korean markets.

3 tablespoons perilla seeds

4 cups dried soy beans (maeju)

Water

1 tablespoon salt

About 20 ounces somen noodles (7 bundles)

2 small Korean cucumbers, sliced into thin strips

1 tomato, sliced into wedges

Black sesame seeds, for garnish

* Roast perilla seeds in small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking skillet, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

* Wash beans, then soak in hot water until plumped and shells have begun to come off, at least 2 hours. Rinse and remove shells. Place beans in large pot and add water to cover about 1 inch above beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 35 to 40 minutes. Occasionally skim foam from top. Remove beans from heat, rinse thoroughly in cold water, then drain.

* Puree seeds then combine with beans. Puree bean mixture in batches in food processor with water so that you process 1 cup beans with 2 cups water, until liquefied. Strain liquid through cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer. Add salt to taste.

* Refrigerate soy liquid 4 to 5 hours until thoroughly cool or chill over a bowl of ice water 1 hour.

* Bring 6 to 8 cups water to boil in large saucepan. Loosen bundles of somen and add to water. Boil until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse thoroughly in cold water. Drain.

* Divide noodles among 8 to 10 large bowls. Carefully pour cold soy soup over noodles. Garnish with cucumbers and 1 to 2 tomato wedges per bowl and sprinkle each with black sesame seeds.

8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 177 calories; 160 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 2.19 grams fiber.

Korean Spicy Hot Chicken Soup (Dak Yukgaejang)

Active Work Time: 1 1/2 hours * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours

Yukgaejang is usually made with shredded beef. However, chicken is substituted here. Hot chicken-based soups are thought to prevent illness and fatigue on hot days. Buy Korean chile powder and Korean sesame oil at Korean markets.

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken

Water

1 head garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons Korean chile powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons salt

3 eggs

1 tablespoon Korean sesame oil

5 bunches green onions, sliced

1/8 teaspoon pepper

* Place chicken in large pot and add about 4 quarts water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken from broth and skim fat.

* Remove skin and debone chicken, shredding meat. Set aside.

* Combine garlic, chile powder, soy sauce, salt and 2 tablespoons chicken broth in large bowl. Add chicken and mix thoroughly. Cover and set aside about 10 minutes for flavors to meld and chile powder to soften.

* Combine eggs and sesame oil in small bowl and beat until well mixed.

* Bring broth to boil. Add seasoned meat, green onions and pepper. Return to boil, then add egg-sesame oil mix, sprinkling it slowly over boiling broth. Serve immediately.

8 servings. Each serving: 156 calories; 2,014 mg sodium; 136 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 0.78 gram fiber.

Red Bean Ice Dessert (Pot Bingsu)

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Look for canned sweet red beans and cooked rice powder at Korean markets.

6 cups shaved ice

1/4 cup canned sweet red beans

4 teaspoons roasted rice powder (misu gallu)

1 (16-ounce) can fruit cocktail

Flavored fruit syrup

Colored jelly candies, optional

* Press 1 1/2 cups shaved ice into small round bowl. Place upside-down in serving bowl to create a nice mound of ice. Repeat 3 more times so you have 4 bowls of ice.

* Add 1 tablespoon red beans, 1 teaspoon rice powder and 1/4 cup fruit cocktail around ice in each bowl. Pour flavored syrup on ice and sprinkle with jelly candy, if desired. Serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving: 118 calories; 8 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 0 fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.79 gram fiber.

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On the cover: table runner from Windows, Pasadena.