Korean Vegetable Japchae (Glass Noodle Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry)

Name: Korean Vegetable Japchae (Glass Noodle Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: glass noodles 150 g; spinach 80 g; carrot 1 piece; shiitake mushrooms 4 piece; bell pepper 1 piece; onion 1 piece; soy sauce 3 tsp; sugar 2 tsp; sesame oil 2 tsp

Quick answer

Total time: 40 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 9

About this dish

Without any meat, japchae leans entirely on its vegetables: spinach, carrot, shiitake, bell pepper, and onion each keep their own color and sweetness because they are stir-fried one at a time.

The spinach only needs to wilt over high heat and is spread out to cool at once, or it dulls in color and turns tough. The glass noodles soak up soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil before anything else joins them and come out glossy, chewy, and seasoned through. Tossing them with vegetables straight from a hot pan makes the noodles slump and clump, the usual way this dish goes wrong. It works as an everyday side dish or on a holiday table.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

carrot1 piece

shiitake mushrooms4 piece

bell pepper1 piece

onion1 piece

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Instructions

6 steps

1

Cook 150 g glass noodles slightly less than the package timing, then rinse in cold water.

Drain very well so the seasoning does not become watery and the noodles stay chewy.
2

Mix 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil first.

Toss this with the cooked noodles and let them stand for about 5 minutes so they absorb the seasoning.
3

Cook 80 g spinach briefly over high heat, just until it wilts.

Spread it out right away to cool so the color stays bright and the leaves do not become tough.
4

Cut the carrot, bell pepper, and onion into thin strips, and slice 4 shiitake mushrooms thinly.

Stir-fry each vegetable separately over medium-high heat to keep its sweetness, color, and texture clear.
5

When the stir-fried vegetables are no longer hot, combine them with the seasoned noodles.

Toss by lifting with chopsticks or tongs so the noodles do not break, clump, or get crushed.
6

Finish with the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and toss until the noodles look glossy.

Taste, then mix lightly again so the soy seasoning coats the vegetables and noodles evenly.