Everything gets cooked separately in japchae — beef in one pan, each vegetable in its own small batch, noodles in boiling water. Then everything is combined and tossed. This preserves distinct textures and colors. Shortcuts that cook everything together produce a muddy result.
What You Need
- 200g dangmyeon (sweet potato glass noodles)
- 150g beef sirloin, thinly sliced and marinated (2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 cloves minced garlic)
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 2 medium carrots, julienned
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced (or fresh)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten (for thin egg strips — optional)
Sauce:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Neutral oil for stir-frying
How to Make It
Marinate beef: Toss beef slices with marinade. Set aside 15 minutes.
Cook the noodles: Boil noodles according to package instructions (usually 7-8 minutes). Drain. While hot, toss with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Use scissors to cut into manageable lengths.
Blanch spinach: Blanch spinach 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain. Squeeze dry. Season with ½ tsp soy sauce and ½ tsp sesame oil.
Cook each vegetable: In a wok or large pan over medium-high heat, cook each vegetable separately with a little oil — carrots (3 min), onion (4 min), shiitake (3 min). Season each lightly with salt. Set aside.
Cook beef: In the same pan over high heat, stir-fry beef 2-3 minutes until just cooked. Set aside.
Combine: In a large bowl or the wok (off heat), combine noodles, all vegetables, and beef. Add sauce ingredients. Toss thoroughly.
Taste and adjust: More soy for salt, more sesame oil for richness, more sugar for balance.
Serve at room temperature — japchae is designed to be eaten warm or at room temp, which is why it's a popular party and celebration dish.
From our Seoul Meets Mexico City collection.