Cooking Time: 20 min
Japchae (잡채) literally means “mixed vegetables.” But the main ingredient of this classic dish is Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), also known as glass noodles. This dish is a Korean favorite for special occasions and traditional holidays.
Serve it as a first course or side dish or over a bed of rice to make it a main dish.
Ingredients
Main Course
- 6 ounces, 170 grams Korean potato starch noodles (dangmyeon, 당면)
- 1 small carrot
- ½ red pepper
- ½ green pepper
- 1 small onion
- 2-3 shiitake mushrooms
- 6 ounces, 170 grams fresh spinach
- Chopped scallions
- 4 ounces 110 grams lean beef (sirloin or rib eye)
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Roasted Sprouted Sesame Seeds
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Jookjangyeon Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Father’s Hill Whole Grain Syrup
- 2 Teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Sprouted Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablet of One Tablet Chopped Garlic (or 1 Tablespoon chopped garlic)
You can make the sauce separately and pour over ready noodles, or drizzle in the ingredients directly into the bowl of noodles.
How to Make
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles according to the package directions (usually 6 - 7 minutes).
Rinse in cold water and drain. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears into 6 -7 inch lengths.
Slice beef, carrot, red pepper, green pepper, onion, and mushrooms into similar lengths and ¼ inch thick.
Heat pan, add vegetable oil, then start stir-frying first with the sliced beef. Sprinkle a pinch of salt.
Then add onions, let them cook a bit before adding the rest of the vegetables.
Now add the rest of the vegetables, adding the spinach last.
Set aside the cooked vegetables on the side to cool off a bit.
Make the sauce and mix with the noodles.
Add in meat and vegetables, mix thoroughly.
Add a hefty amount of sesame seeds then a small handful of chopped scallions.
Move the whole mixture to a large serving bowl, feel free to sprinkle another pinch of sesame seeds and scallions for garnish.
Keywords: South Korea, Korean food, korean recipes, japchae, japchae noodles, glass noodles, noodles, stir fry, sesame oil, soy sauce