Japchae
Stir-fried glass noodles
Japchae (잡채) is a party dish: clear noodles, usually made from sweet potato starch, stir-fried with vegetables, beef and a sweet soy sauce. It is eaten warm or at room temperature and is not spicy.
Ingredients
14 ingredientsCan’t find a Korean ingredient? Use the substitute we suggest.
- Dangmyeon (당면), sweet potato starch noodles150 g
At your store: Mung bean glass noodles (cellophane noodles) from the Asian aisle, or thin rice noodles. Cook as the package says, they are usually quicker.
- Beef in thin strips (optional)150 g
- Spinach150 g
- Carrot1/2, in thin strips
- Onion1/2, sliced
- Red bell pepper1/2, in strips
- Shiitake mushrooms4, sliced
At your store: Button or cremini mushrooms. Fresh shiitake is easy to find in Brazil.
- Egg (optional, for garnish)1
- Soy sauce4 tbsp
- Sugar2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil2 tbsp
At your store: Toasted sesame oil, amber in color. The pale kind does not have the same aroma.
- Minced garlic2 cloves
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
- Vegetable oil, salt and black pepperto taste
Steps
- Step 1:
Mix the soy sauce, sugar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, garlic and a little pepper. Set aside 1 tbsp of this sauce and toss it with the beef.
- Step 2:
Cook the noodles as the package says, rinse in cold water and cut them with scissors into pieces of about 15 cm.
- Step 3:
Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, cool it in cold water, squeeze it dry and season with a pinch of salt.
- Step 4:
Sauté the onion, carrot, bell pepper and mushrooms separately with a little oil and salt, 1 to 2 minutes each.
- Step 5:
Stir-fry the beef until cooked.
- Step 6:
In the same pan, stir-fry the noodles with the rest of the sauce for 2 minutes, until they soak it up.
- Step 7:
Toss everything together with tongs or your hands. Finish with the rest of the sesame oil and the sesame seeds. If you like, top with strips of a thin omelet.
Cooking each vegetable separately keeps the colors bright. Japchae keeps well for a day in the fridge; warm it briefly in a pan before serving.