Japchae Recipe – 4 Person Batch Recipe.
Japchae Recipe - 4 Person Batch
Earlier this month, Katie made a delicious japchae for my birthday.
It was served as banchan, alongside the customary Birthday Seaweed Soup (aka Miyeok-Guk).
I was very impressed by the balanced flavor of the japchae (my eyebrows peaked).
The texture of the noodles was just right too – bouncy, not overcooked.
She told me that she tried a japchae recipe from Our Table.
Today, I wanted to share this recipe with you in English (as it’s originally written in Korean).
Japchae is one of those classic dishes that you should now how to makes – if you’re interested in Korean cooking.
Japchae is not hard to make.
But there are number of steps – with most of the time spent on prepping the ingredients.
Now, we will stir-fry each of the ingredients separately (including the noodles) – then bring them all together at the end.
Infusing Flavor into the Noodles
One of our viewers asked – why stir-fry them separately then?
Well, if stir-fried together, certain vegetables are undercooked than others. But more importantly, the vegetables don’t look as vibrant in color (and will bleed their colors onto others).
Japchae looks very appetizing, because of the dynamic colors of the vegetables.
Dynamic colors in Japchae
We want to keep the texture and color alive.
Cooking notes on Japchae recipe:
This recipe produces a 4-person serving.
Measure 200g of Dangmyeon Noodles (Korean Sweet Potato Starch Noodles) - about 2 fistfuls.
Use 2 fistfuls (each handful is 100g)
Soak the dry noodles in cold water for 30 minutes.
For the meat, feel free to use pork or beef (thinly sliced).
You can find meat cuts for japchae (잡채용) at the Korean Super Market
If you want to go vegetarian, use the meat marinade and mix it into mushrooms.
When stir-frying each of the vegetables, simply add in some oil, cook on a medium-heat and season with a few pinches of salt. When they start to sweat and turn soft (avoid browning them), take them off the pan.
You don't want browning - just stir-fry until the vegetables sweat
At the very end, give a drizzle of sesame oil and a final mix to finish the dish!
Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil at the end!
Japchae is ready!
Note: Japchae is one of those dishes that are meant to be eaten the day of.
If however, you do want to store the leftovers, please store in refrigerator (1-day max) and re-heat in the microwave.
(Microwave does a better job than stir-frying when re-heating dangmyeon noodles.)
However, the taste and texture will drop considerably.
Alrighty ya’ll – if you have a friend or family member’s birthday coming-up, whip-up some Japchae.
Perfect batch size for a family meal - Japchae success!
They’ll love it!
Neighbors - one thing.
We love waking up and scrolling through picture of your dishes! If you made this recipe, tag us on IG!
And if you're cooking alone tonight, no worries! Listen to our latest podcast as you prep 😀
Ingredients
Japchae Ingredients
- 200 grams Dangmyeon Noodles (Korean Glass Noodles)
- 100 gram Pork (or Beef) Slices
- 3 Shiitake Mushrooms
- 8 Wood Ear Mushrooms (optional)
- ½ a whole Carrot
- 2 handfuls of Spinach
- 1 Onion
- Drizzle of Sesame Oil (Drizzle on at the very end)
Spinach Marinade
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
- Few pinches Salt
Meat Marinade
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon (!) Sugar
- 1 teaspoon (!) Minced Garlic
- 4-5 cracks Black Pepper
Noodle Marinade
- 3.5 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon (!) Minced Garlic
- 4-5 cracks Black Pepper
Instructions
Prep Ingredients
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Put dried Dangmyeon Noodles (2 large handfuls) into a tray with cold water. Let it soak for at least 30 minutes.
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Julienne a piece of carrot (½ a whole) into thin slices.
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Julienne 3 Shiitake Mushrooms into thin slices.
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Remove the stem portion off 8-10 Wood Ear Mushrooms. Then chop any large pieces into smaller pieces.
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Cut 1 whole onion into smaller strips.
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Cut stems off your spinach bundles (2 large handfuls). Then thoroughly wash the spinach in water. Place in strainer and let it drip-off excess water.
Marinate the Beef
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Take out a bowl and mix together: Soy Sauce (1 Tablespoon), Sesame Oil (1 Tablespoon), Sugar (1 teaspoon!), Minced Garlic (1 teaspoon!), Black Pepper (4-5 cracks).
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Pour the marinade over the meat slices. Then thoroughly mix with your hands. Set it aside and let it marinate.
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(Note: If you want to make it vegetarian, simply use this "meat marinade" on your mushrooms)
Blanche Spinach
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Bring a pot of water to boil. Season it with a few pinches of salt.
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Once the water is boiling, add-in the spinach. Use a kitchen tool to get all of the spinach submerged. Then count 10 seconds.
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After 10 seconds, turn off heat, drain the pot and cool the spinach down in cold water.
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Afterwards, squeeze the water out of the spinach. Then detangle the bundles and place into a bowl.
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Next, season it with Sesame oil (1 Tablespoon) and Salt (few pinches). Use your hands to get the spinach tossed & well coated.
Stir-fry Vegetables
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Take out a frying pan. Put some vegetable oil in. Then place on medium-heat.
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Once it's hot, stir-fry the onions first.
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Season the onion slices with a few pinches of salt. Stir-fry for a few minutes - or until the onions start to sweat and turn translucent. Then set aside, onto a tray.
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Next, place more cooking oil into the frying pan. Then add in the carrots.
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Season them with a few pinches of salt. Stir-fry for a few minutes - or until the carrots start to sweat. Then set aside, onto a tray.
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Next, place more cooking oil into the frying pan. Then add in both mushrooms.
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Season them with a few pinches of salt. Stir-fry for a few minutes - or until the mushrooms start to sweat and turn soft. Then set aside, onto a tray.
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Next, place more cooking oil into the frying pan. Then add in the marinated meat slices.
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Stir-fry for a few minutes - or until the meat has cooked through. Then set aside, onto a tray
Blanch & Stir-fry Noodles
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Bring a pot of water up to boil. Once it's boiling, add in the soaked dangmyeon noodles. Let it boil for 3 minutes.
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While it's boiling, give it a periodic stir with your chopsticks - to make sure the noodles are not sticking to the bottom or sides.
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After 3 minutes, turn heat off and drain the water. Then cool the noodles down in cold water.
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Place the noodles into a strainer and give a few good shakes - we want the noodles to drip-off excess water.
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Now take out a large frying pan. We'll build the sauce directly in the pan. Add-in the following: Soy Sauce (3.5 Tablespoons), Sesame Oil (3 Tablespoons), Sugar (1.5 Tablespoons), Minced Garlic (1 teaspoon!), Black Pepper (4-5 cracks)
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Place the frying pan on medium heat. Use a wooden utensil and gently mix the ingredients together. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add in the boiled dangmyeon noodles.
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Gently toss the noodles in the sauce for 2 minutes.
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After 2 minutes, pour the hot, seasoned noodles into a large mixing bowl.
Combine Ingredients & Toss
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Now it's time to add all toppings into the bowl: stir-fried veggies + mushrooms + spinach + meat.
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Use a few kitchen tools to help you toss the noodles (be careful, it's hot!). Then add in a drizzle of Sesame Oil to round out all of the flavors.
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Give it a final toss and it's ready!
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Bon Appetit!