Japchae

Japchae: Korea’s Glossy Glass Noodle Stir Fry (Vegetarian)

Byorevia
Prep25 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Serves3
Total40 min
2 min readJump to Recipe ↓

Japchae is one of Korea’s most loved dishes and appears at birthdays, weddings and holidays. Chewy, translucent noodles made from sweet potato starch are stir fried with colourful vegetables and a sweet, nutty soy dressing. It is vegetarian when made without beef, and it tastes good warm or cold.

In This Guide
  1. Did You Know?
  2. Ingredients
  3. Method
  4. Common Mistakes to Avoid
  5. Storage and Reheating
  6. Quick Answers

Did You Know?

Japchae is a Korean dish of glass noodles made from sweet potato starch (dangmyeon), stir-fried with vegetables. It is often described as a royal court dish from the Joseon era, when early versions were made without noodles. Each vegetable is cooked separately so it keeps its own colour and texture.

Ingredients

  • 150 g Korean sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)
  • 1 carrot, 1 capsicum, 1/2 onion, all cut into thin strips
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced, 2 cups spinach
  • 3 garlic cloves, 2 spring onions
  • Sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil

Method

  1. Boil the noodles for 6 to 7 minutes until soft and chewy. Drain, rinse and cut into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors. Toss with 1 tbsp of the sauce.
  2. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, squeeze out the water and season with a drop of sesame oil and salt.
  3. Stir fry each vegetable separately in a hot pan with a little oil and salt, for 1 to 2 minutes each, so the colours stay bright. Set aside.
  4. In the same pan, add the noodles, the remaining sauce and a splash of water. Stir for 2 minutes.
  5. Add all the vegetables and spinach and toss together. Finish with sesame seeds and sesame oil.

Tip: Frying vegetables separately is what makes it look so good. Use a wide pan or kadai. See our triply kadais.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Cooking all the vegetables together. They turn dull and unevenly cooked. Cook each separately.
  • Overcooking the noodles. They should be chewy. Rinse them in cold water after boiling.
  • Adding all the sauce at once. Taste as you go so the noodles do not become too salty.

Storage and Reheating

Japchae keeps for 2 days in the fridge. The noodles firm up when cold, so reheat in a pan with a splash of water or enjoy at room temperature.

Quick Answers

Which noodles do I need?

Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon). Other glass noodles will taste and feel different.

Can I make it vegetarian?

Yes. Use mushrooms and vegetables and skip the meat.

Written byorevia

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