Japchae Korean Glass Noodles

Japchae, also known as glass noodles or sweet potato noodles, is one of the best-selling dishes at many Korean restaurants. This dish can be made quickly using high heat and simple ingredients, with the entire process taking about ten minutes from start to finish.

The noodles used for this recipe are sweet potato noodles. These noodles are very hard when dry. At restaurants, they are often soaked for a full day, but for this preparation, the noodles are cooked directly to save time.

Cooking the Sweet Potato Noodles

Start by heating a pan over high heat and filling it with one quart of water. Once the water comes to a boil, add the sweet potato noodles to the pan.

Cook the noodles for six minutes. While they are cooking, prepare the vegetables and protein. After six minutes, drain the noodles and give them a quick rinse to remove excess starch. Set the noodles aside.

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Preparing the Vegetables and Beef

Prepare onion, red bell pepper, carrot, mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms. After chopping all the vegetables, measure them together to make a total of 150 grams. The vegetables can be adjusted based on preference. If more mushrooms are desired, add more mushrooms. If red pepper is not preferred, it can be reduced or replaced.

The vegetables are cut long and thin. This helps when eating the dish with chopsticks, allowing the vegetables and noodles to be picked up together.

On the same cutting board, slice beef into small bite-sized pieces and measure out 50 grams. If making a vegetarian version, the beef can be skipped. Beef is traditionally used, but other proteins can be substituted if desired.

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Stir-Frying the Japchae

Heat a pan over high heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the beef and half a tablespoon of garlic. Stir briefly, then add a small amount of soy sauce to season the beef.

Add all the prepared vegetables to the pan, except for the spinach. Stir-fry everything together for about one minute.

Add the cooked sweet potato noodles to the pan. Season with three tablespoons of soy sauce, two tablespoons of sesame oil, half a tablespoon of oyster sauce, one tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon of corn syrup, a small amount of black pepper, and half a tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Mix everything together thoroughly so the noodles, vegetables, and beef are evenly coated.

Add the spinach last. Spinach cooks very quickly and is added at the end to preserve its color and flavor. Stir until the spinach is just wilted.

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Plating and Serving

Once the japchae is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a plate. The vegetables can be placed on top for presentation.

The long-cut vegetables make it easier to grab the noodles and vegetables together with chopsticks, creating a balanced bite with each serving.

Finish the dish with an additional sprinkle of sesame seeds before serving. The result is a restaurant-style japchae that can be made at home quickly and served hot.

 

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