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A plate of japchae, glass noodles tossed with beef, spinach, carrot and mushroom in a shallow serving dish

Japchae Recipe

A japchae recipe built for potlucks: how to cook glass noodles so they don't clump, why every vegetable gets its own pan, and a substitute for each item.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g / 7 oz dangmyeon, Korean sweet potato glass noodles
  • 150 g / 5 oz beef sirloin or ribeye, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, pinch black pepper, for the beef marinade
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 20 minutes in warm water and sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, julienned, about 200 g / 7 oz
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, julienned (optional, mainly for color)
  • 150 g / 5 oz baby spinach
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided (no real substitute — plain vegetable oil won't give you the flavor the whole dish is built around)
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 eggs, separated, fried into thin sheets and cut into strips for garnish, jidan (optional — skip entirely for a vegan pot)
  • Salt to taste, vegetable oil for the pan

Method
 

  1. Soak the dangmyeon in warm, not hot, water for 30 minutes, until a strand bends without snapping.
  2. Combine the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients and set it aside for at least 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drain the soaked noodles and boil them for 5 to 6 minutes, until they've turned fully translucent and taste chewy rather than starchy.
  4. Drain the noodles, rinse briefly under cold water, and toss immediately with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil so they don't clump together while everything else cooks.
  5. Wipe out a wide pan or wok. Cook the spinach alone over medium heat for about 1 minute, just until wilted, season with a pinch of salt, and move it to its own bowl.
  6. In the same pan, stir-fry the carrots alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender with a little bite left, then move them to their own bowl.
  7. Stir-fry the onion alone for 2 minutes until soft and starting to turn gold, then the bell pepper alone for about 1 minute, keeping each one in a separate bowl.
  8. Stir-fry the mushrooms alone for 3 minutes, until they've released their liquid and started to catch a little color at the edges.
  9. Cook the marinated beef alone over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until just cooked through and slightly caramelized at the edges.
  10. If using the egg garnish, fry the whites and yolks separately into thin sheets, let them cool flat, then slice into fine strips.
  11. Return the noodles to the pan or a large mixing bowl with the remaining soy sauce, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Toss over low heat for 1 minute so the noodles absorb the sauce.
  12. Add the beef and every vegetable back in and toss everything together for 1 minute, just until combined and warmed through. Finish with sesame seeds and the egg strips.