Japchae

Name: Japchae
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: 200 g (7 oz) beef sirloin or ribeye, cut in thin strips; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 1 clove garlic, grated; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 250 g (9 oz) Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon); 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1 carrot, in matchsticks; 1 red pepper, in thin strips; 150 g (5 oz) shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, sliced; 150 g (5 oz) spinach; 4 scallions, cut in 5 cm (2 in) lengths; 1 egg, optional, for the garnish; fine sea salt; 4 tbsp soy sauce; 1½ tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Korean glass noodles with beef and vegetables in sesame and soy

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 40 min
Total: 50 min
Level: Some skill

Japchae is made with chewy sweet-potato starch noodles tossed with separately cooked vegetables and beef, seasoned with soy, sugar and plenty of sesame oil. Cooking each vegetable on its own sounds fussy, but it takes minutes and keeps every color and texture distinct.

Ingredients

Beef

200 gbeef sirloin or ribeye (7 oz)cut in thin strips
1 tbspsoy sauce
1 tspsugar
1 clovegarlicgrated
1 tsptoasted sesame oil

Noodles and vegetables

250 gKorean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon) (9 oz)
3 tbspneutral oildivided
1onionthinly sliced
1carrotin matchsticks
1red pepperin thin strips
150 gshiitake or chestnut mushrooms (5 oz)sliced
150 gspinach (5 oz)
4scallionscut in 5 cm (2 in) lengths
1eggoptional, for the garnish
fine sea salt

Seasoning

4 tbspsoy sauce
1½ tbspsugar
2 tbsptoasted sesame oil
2 clovesgarlicgrated
1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: soy, gluten, sesame, egg
Origin: Korea

Method

Toss the beef with its marinade ingredients and set aside. Mix the seasoning ingredients except the sesame seeds.
Cook the noodles in boiling water until clear and chewy, 6–7 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again and cut through a few times with scissors. Toss with 1 tbsp of the seasoning. 7 min
Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 20 seconds, rinse in cold water, squeeze dry and season with a pinch of salt.
If using the egg, beat it with a pinch of salt and cook as a thin omelet in a lightly oiled non-stick pan over low heat, 1 minute per side. Roll and slice into thin ribbons. 2 min
Heat 1 tsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the onion with a pinch of salt until just soft, 2 minutes; tip into a large bowl. Repeat with the carrot (1 minute), the pepper (1 minute) and the mushrooms (3 minutes), adding a little oil each time. 7 min
Add the last of the oil and stir-fry the beef until browned, 2 minutes, adding the scallions for the last 30 seconds. Add to the bowl. 2 min
Add the noodles, spinach and the rest of the seasoning to the bowl and toss well with your hands or tongs. Taste and adjust with soy or sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with egg ribbons and sesame seeds.

Why it works

Sweet potato starch noodles have no gluten; their chew comes from gelatinized starch, which firms up when rinsed cold and stays springy rather than mushy. Cooking each vegetable separately means each gets the right time and heat, so nothing is raw and nothing is overcooked.

Common mistakes

Not rinsing the noodles: they keep cooking and turn gluey.
Cooking all the vegetables together: they steam into one soft mass.

Variations

Vegetarian: Skip the beef and double the mushrooms.
Party dish: Japchae is served at room temperature at Korean celebrations; it scales easily and can be made an hour ahead.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 2 days in the fridge; the noodles harden when cold, so warm briefly in a pan or microwave with a splash of water.

Notes

Use tamari to make it gluten-free. Egg only if you add the egg garnish.