South Korean recipe
How to make Japchae
잡채
Created for the royal court in the early 1600s
Glass noodles made from sweet potato starch, stir-fried with vegetables, mushrooms and beef and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. It is a favourite dish for birthdays, weddings and holidays.
Ingredients
- 200 g Korean sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon)
- 150 g beef, cut into thin strips
- 150 g spinach
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 carrot, cut into thin strips
- 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Vegetable oil and toasted sesame seeds
Method
- Cook the noodles in boiling water for 6 to 7 minutes, drain, rinse and cut them a few times with scissors.
- Mix the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic to make the sauce.
- Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds and squeeze it dry.
- Stir-fry the onion, carrot and mushrooms in a little oil for 2 to 3 minutes, then set aside. Stir-fry the beef until cooked through.
- Put the noodles in the pan with the sauce and stir over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Add all the vegetables and the beef, mix well and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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The first japchae, made for King Gwanghaegun in the 1600s, had no noodles at all. The glass noodles were added in the 20th century.
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