Sunday, April 8, 2012

Japchae: Korean Noodles (Korean Banchan Series)

Japchae is often served as part of the side dishes in Korean restaurants. However, it can also be a meal all of its own when it is served on a bed of rice and is then called japchae bap.

Most japchae recipe include meat, but since we don’t eat very much meat these days, I usually make it without meat. Also, I always change the ingredients in this dish, as I use whatever vegetables I have around.



Japchae (Korean Noodles)

Ingredients (for the noodles)
  • 8 ounces glass noodles (also called sweat potato or mung bean noodles)
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • Olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 8 ounces oyster mushrooms, sliced
  • 8 ounces spinach (blanch the spinach and squeeze it dry)
  • oil
Ingredients (for the sauce)
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbps black pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
Directions
  1. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package, between 6 – 8 minutes.
  2. Rinse the noodles with cold water. If they are the long kind, cut them into about 5-inch-long pieces.
  3. Pour two tablespoons soy sauce over the noodles and make sure all noodles are coated evenly.
  4. Heat a frying pan and lightly coat it with oil.
  5. Stir fry the noodles for 4-5 minutes.
  6. Set the noodles aside.
  7. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
  8. Heat a frying pan, add a little oil, and stir fry the vegetables one by one and let them cool. Season each vegetable with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  9. Once the vegetables are cooled, combine them with the spinach and the noodles.
  10. Coat the noodles with the sauce.
  11. Often this dish is served with egg strips. To make the egg strips, make an “egg pancake” and cut it into thin strips.
Of course it’s a lot more fun to make this dish if you have a helper:

Some of the noodles are REALLY long… In the picture on the right, they have already been cut and are being sautéed.

Once all ingredients are at room temperature, they can be mixed together.


Questions: What’s your favorite noodle dish?  
Be well,
Andrea