Japchae

Japchae is Korean stir fried glass noodles with vegetables with or without meat. It is very similar to Chinese stir fried noodles. Korean glass noodles 'dang myun' are much thicker than Chinese glass noodles and greyish in colour. Chinese glass noodles are made with mung beans and Korean glass noodles are made with sweet potato starch. Here is the packet I used.


Japchae is delicious, healthy, colourful and not that difficult to make.

This recipe will feed 3 - 4 people

Ingredients:

200g Korean glass noodles (dang myun)
180 - 200g beef , sirloin or rump steak (vegetarian leave beef out)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, sliced
1 - 2 carrot, cut into fine strips
1 red or green pepper, cut into fine strips
250g spinach
2 - 4 shitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into fine strips
few pieces of woodear mushroom, soaked and cut into fine strips
2 stalks spring onion, cut into very fine strips
2 eggs, beaten (vegan can leave egg out)
few tbsp soy sauce (preferably Korean or Japanese)
some sugar
few tbsp sesame oil
a little cooking oil
enough ground pepper to taste
about 1 - 2 tbsp of sesame seeds


Method:

1. Prepare all the vegetables and set aside.
   
2. Cut the beef into strips and marinate with some sesame oil, soy sauce and a little sugar.
3. Dry roast the sesame seeds with a small pan till light golden. Set aside
   
4. Blanch the spinach for about 1 minute, drain and rinse with cold water then squeeze lightly to release excess water. Lightly seasoned with sesame oil and a little salt or soy
   
5. Heat a large pan of water till boiling, boil the glass noodles for few minutes till softened. Test one before taking out. Drain and cut noodles with scissors into shorter length then mix with some soy and sesame oil.
   
6. Stir fry the carrot and pepper with a little oil or sesame oil, season with few grains of salt/few drops of soy
7. Stir fry the mushroom and woodear with a little oil or sesame oil, seasoned with a little salt/soy and a pinch of sugar.
8. Fry the onion with a little oil till translucent then add beef and garlic, stir fry till beef is medium rare or fully cooked.
   
9. In a clean pan add a little oil till hot and fry the egg into omelette. Cooled and cut into fine strips.
10. With a large non stick pan or wok, stir fry the noodles till hot add vegetables and beef then add spring onion. Seasoned with more soy or sesame oil if needed and ground pepper to taste. (I find chopsticks are very good with mixing). If you like the japchae serving warm to cold, just mix everything together in a large bowl without stir frying.
    
11. Dish up and sprinkle egg omelette and sesame seeds on top. Enjoy.

**Suitable for vegetarians: leave out meat and egg. Can add more vegetables if you like.