Authentic Yanbian Korean Cold Noodles (Mul-Naengmyeon)

Blanch 500g beef shank in boiling water and skim off the surface foam. Add 100ml yellow soybean soy sauce for color, along with 3g licorice, 3g dried chilies, 1 cinnamon bark, 5 bay leaves, and 2 star anise. Add 100g sliced carrots, 100g sliced onion, 50g scallion sections, 30g garlic cloves, 20g ginger slices, and half an apple and half a pear cut into chunks. Transfer everything into a pressure cooker, seal tightly, and cook under pressure for 20 minutes.

Cut 300g cabbage into wide strips and slice 100g cucumber diagonally into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 10g salt, 5g MSG, and 5g sugar. Add 10g minced ginger, 15g minced garlic, and 20g chili powder. Put on gloves and mix thoroughly by hand until the vegetables soften and absorb flavors.

Release pressure and open the pressure cooker lid after 20 minutes. Add 30g coarse salt and 5g MSG, then simmer uncovered over medium heat for another 10 minutes to let the flavors infuse into the beef. Remove the beef shank onto a plate to cool. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids, spoon off excess oil from the surface, and allow to cool completely.

Pour 700ml mineral water into a large bowl and mix in 200ml cooled beef broth for color. Place 20g baking soda in a ladle, pour 160ml Sprite over it until fizzing, then stir into the broth. Add 30ml vinegar essence and 25g sugar to adjust the sweet-and-sour taste. Add 100g cucumber chunks, half sliced apple, half sliced pear, 30g scallion sections, 15g smashed garlic, 10g smashed ginger, and half sliced lemon. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze/refrigerate for 5 hours until slushy ice forms.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 200g buckwheat cold noodles, and stir quickly with chopsticks to separate. Cook on high heat for about 1 minute until the noodles are soft and pliable with no hard core. Immediately drain the noodles into a mesh strainer, wash thoroughly under cold running water by hand to remove excess starch until the water runs clear, and drain.

Place the washed and cooled buckwheat noodles into a stainless steel cold noodle bowl. Add 30g cold noodle chili sauce on top of the noodles, followed by a generous portion of the prepared cabbage kimchi. Arrange 50g sliced braised beef, half a hard-boiled egg, 20g pickled white radish slices, and 20g fresh cucumber shreds. Sprinkle with 3g toasted sesame seeds and drizzle 5ml sesame oil. Finally, remove 400ml iced slushy cold noodle broth from the fridge, discard the steeped fruit and vegetable pieces, ladle the soup over the noodles until submerged, and serve.