Also known as Jabchae, chapchae or jobchae, japchae is a Korean noodle dish made from cellophane noodles and stir fried with sesame oil and assorted vegetables. I first had japchae at a potluck party, and I kept going back for seconds and thirds, and pretty much ate the whole Tupperware container.
According to Wikipedia, the story goes that in the 17th century, Japchae was created for a party hosted by the Korean king. The king liked the dish so much he promoted the inventor to the position of Secretary of the Treasury. If it was half as good as the one I had at the potluck party, I'd say it was a well deserved promotion.
Cellophane or glass noodles are found in many Asian dishes, and in Korean cuisine, they are typically made from sweet potato starch (dangmyun, 당면). They are brownish-grey when dried, but are translucent and slightly chewy after cooking.
Japchae (잡채)
From the kitchen of Charlotte Lee
1 package of sweet potato starch noodles ("danhmyun" or glass noodles)
150 grams of beef (top round or sirloin sliced into thin strips)
1 bunch of spinach
1 medium sized carrot
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic (minced well)
7-8 green onions (scallions)
3 Tbsps sesame oil (toasted, looks dark brown)
3 Tbsps soy sauce
2 Tbsps sugar (or honey or agave nectar)
3 Tbsps toasted sesame seeds
1 egg, separated
Olive oil for frying
Black pepper and salt to taste
Serves 4
Directions:
1. Soak shiitake mushrooms in water for a few hours or overnight until soft. Squeeze the water out and slice thinly into strips.
2. Cut carrot into matchstick size.
3. Cut green onions into 7cm long pieces.
4. Slice onion and cut into 7 cm long pieces.
5. Slice beef into thin strips and marinate in mixture of 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp sesame oil and 1 Tbsp sesame seeds. Let marinate for 30 minutes or more.
6. Boil 2 bunches of noodles for 5 minutes until noodles are soft. Drain and put in large bowl.
7. Cut noodles using kitchen scissors or a knife. Season with 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Mix and set aside.
8. In boiling water, blanch spinach for ~1 minute. Drain and rinse spinach well. Squeeze water out of the spinach and cut into 7 cm pieces. Season with 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 Tbsp sugar. Mix and put in large bowl with noodles.
9. In a heater frying pan, add some olive oil and stir fry carrot strips until slightly soft. Season with salt and put in large bowl with noodles.
10. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil and stir fry onion pieces until slightly translucent. Season with salt and put in large bowl with noodles.
11. In the same pan, add a little more olive oil and stir fry green onion pieces until slightly translucent. Season with salt and put in large bowl with noodles.
12. In the same pan, add more olive oil and stir fry the beef with marinade sauce, minced garlic, and shiitake mushroom strips until well cooked. Put in large bowl with noodles.
13. Add 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 Tbsp sugar and ground black pepper to large bowl. Mix all ingredients and taste. Add more soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and black pepper if necessary.
14. Fry egg white into thin pancake. Fry egg yolk into thin pancake. Cut into thin 7 cm strips.
15. Garnish noodles with egg strips and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.
16. Serve hot. If not serving right away, you can reheat noodles by stir frying in a little olive oil.
*Note: While it's traditional to stir fry all the components separately and then combine them with the noodles, I've also just thrown all the veggies in the pan and cook them together. Less hassle and tastes just as good.
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