Japchae translates as “mixed vegetables” literally. It is a flavourful stir-fry dish made with dangmyean (as known as sweet potato starch noodles) with vegetables and is one of the Korea’s best-loved dishes.
There are many variations cooking this dish, you can toss mix the noodles with seafood, beef, chicken, kimchi etc. If you can’t find dangmyean, you may replace that with glass noodles made from mung bean starch or potato starch.
Traditionally, you should separately cook each ingredient then toss mix everything in a large mixing bowl. That requires quite a bit (a lot, indeed) multitasking skill if you aim to get this done in a hurry/ as a quick meal, so I decided to create my own lazy-man version.
Serve 2
Ingredients you will need
100g beef, thinly sliced
150g Korean dangmyeon
100g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
150g spinach leaves
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp cooking oil
a pinch of salt and pepper
Marinade for beef
2 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
To garnish
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg yolk, pan fried and sliced
Instruction
Marinade the beef and allow it to sit for at least 15 mins.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles in boiling water for 8-10 mins or until it turns fully transparent and soft, then drain the water.
Heat a frying pan/wok over high heat with cooking oil, add the beef then stir fry until the surface is slightly browned.
Add the mushrooms, carrot then stir fry for 2-3 mins.
Add the noodles, spinach, brown sugar, light soy sauce and cook for another 5-7 mins until the sauce is reduced.
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper if needed, off from heat, toss in 1 tsp sesame oil and transfer to a plate.
Garnish with sesame seeds and egg strips, serve hot or cool.
