Japchae
No Korean feast is complete without a colorful plate of japchae (or chapch’ae), a stir-fry of glass noodles and vegetables. A toss up of color, flavor, and texture, japchae is one of my favorite Korean dishes to recreate at home. A simple recipe with an authentic flavor, japchae is a crowd pleaser that is compatible with almost every kind of food restriction and palate.
Meaning “mixture of vegetables,” japchae describes both the dish as well as the method with which it is prepared. From the nuttiness of the sesame to the umami taste of soy sauce, soft glass noodles, meaty mushrooms, slight crunch of fresh vegetables, japchae is a nutritious and filling meal. Add a few slivers of fire grilled bulgogi — thinly sliced marinated beef and this meal is complete!
Origin
Tracing the long history of this beloved dish provides a fascinating study of Korean culinary and cultural history. Japchae was first made in the early 17th century, when the Joseon Dynasty reigned supreme over the Korean peninsula. King Gwanghaegun, the 15th king of the Joseon dynasty decreed japchae as a royal dish after one of his lieges, Yi Chung concocted it to please the King’s palate. Yi Chung liked to regale the king with unusual dishes during royal celebrations. What a suck up, if you ask me, but I supposed that’s how you stay alive in a royal court. Anyway, the king liked it so much that he rewarded his liege by promoting him to the position of “Hojo Panseo”, equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury for the whole kingdom!
While japchae is classified today as a noodle dish, it’s earliest version did not contain noodles at all. Originally, japchae was a stir-fried mixed vegetable dish as its name implies. In fact, noodles did not exist in that region until the 20th century. The japchae we know of today with noodles and meat came about 200 years after it was first created. Mongols brought their wheat, buckwheat, and sweet potatoes to Korea along with their cuisine of beef and pork. Due to their nomadic lifestyle, the Mongols relied heavily on a diet of protein from the animals they raised. As they roamed the Eurasian steppes, beef and other meats were introduced into Korea.
The popularity of japchae spread to the masses overtime and it became a dish served at festivities and celebrations. Japchae can be either a main dish or a side dish, known locally as banchan, and it can be served hot off the pan or cold from the fridge. The noodles are so famous that they can be both an everyday dish and also a celebration dish because, like in many other Asian culture, noodles also mean long life in Korean culture.
Buddhism in Korean Cuisine
The lasting influence of Buddhism is a significant factor in the centrality of vegetables to Korean cuisine. During the Koryo dynasty which preceded the Joseon dynasty, the slaughter of cattle for food was prohibited in accordance with Buddhist beliefs. Buddhism is further reflected in the food tradition of combining numerous vegetables in a single dish to balance tastes, textures, and colors. Based on the five elements or phases of East Asian cosmology, many Korean foods feature five colors —green (scallions, spinach, zucchini, cucumber), red (chili peppers, carrots or jujubes), yellow (potato, egg yolk, soybeans), white (daikon, onion, tofu, egg white) and black (mushrooms, seaweed, burdock root). The spinach, carrots and mushrooms typically used in japchae, plus the garnish of a fried egg, is a unison of these color requirements.
Recipe — Japchae
Serves: 3-4
Few Tips + Advice Before You Start Cooking
Vegetables should be cooked separately, one by one. Each vegetables requires different cooking time and this being a vegetable forward dish, we want to preserve the texture and taste of each ingredients in the best way possible. I like to apply this method in every mixed vegetable recipe, you can see the same cooking principle in our Bangladeshi Panch Mishali Shobji.
Mise en place! Prepare all the vegetables first, making sure they are all the same length and size - julienned/matchsticks about 2-3 inch long pieces.
Since each ingredient is being prepared separately, make sure to have lots of little prep bowls to store the vegetables as they cook.
Recommended Cookware and Utensils
Recommended Pantry Ingredients
Preparing the Ingredients
Egg Garnish | Jidan
Egg - 1, lightly beaten
Vegetable Oil - ½ tbsp
Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium low heat. Add vegetable oil and swirl the skillet to coat. Add beaten eggs and quickly swirl the skillet to cover the entire surface in a thin layer. Cook until it’s just set, about 1 minute, then flip over and cook for another minute. Do not brown the egg. Set aside on a plate and let it cool. Once the egg is cooled, slice into thin ribbons and set aside. The best way to do this — roll the egg crepe into a tight spiral. Then cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces with a sharp knife.
Carrots
Carrots - 1 cup, julienned
Vegetable Oil - ½ tbsp
Salt - just a pinch
Clean and peel the carrots. Using a mandoline slicer, julienne the carrots into thin matchsticks. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the carrots and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until it’s tender, just about al dente. Set aside.
Peppers
Bell Peppers // Sweet Long Peppers - 1 cup, julienned
Vegetable Oil - ½ tbsp
Salt - just a pinch
Clean, destem and devein (the white parts) the peppers. Using a sharp knife, julienne the peppers. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the peppers and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until it’s tender, just about al dente. Set aside.
Note: I used 3 sweet long peppers with 3 different colors - red, orange and green.
Onion
Red Onion - ½ cup, sliced
Scallions - 3, cut into 2-3 inch
Vegetable Oil - ½ tbsp
Salt - just a pinch
Thinly slice the onions. Cut the scallions into matchsticks (same size as the carrots and peppers). If the scallion is too thick, run the knife through it lengthwise and split them in half. Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add the onions and stir-fry until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the scallions, and stir-fry for another 2 minutes, along with the onions. Do not overcook/burn the onions and scallions. Only cook until the onion is translucent and the scallions are green and vibrant. Set aside.
Note: I used red onions to add color to the noodles but you can use regular white onions or sweet vidalia onions too.
Mushrooms
Shiitake Mushroom - ½ cup
Vegetable Oil - ½ tbsp
Salt - just a pinch
Clean the mushrooms very well - wash them under running water removing any dirt. If using dried shiitake, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes or so until they are fully hydrated. Cut the mushroom into thin strips. Set aside.
Note: I used dry shiitake mushrooms although I did buy them fresh. I bought way too many from my local farmers market so I decided to dehydrate them. If you can’t find fresh or dry shiitake, go ahead and use white button, cremini or portobello mushrooms.
Heat up the skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry until the mushrooms are cooked and tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Spinach
Spinach - 1 cup
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Toasted Sesame Oil - 1 tsp
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then take it out with a slotted spoon or strainer. Let the water keep boiling to cook the noodles.
Rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water. In a large mixing bowl, add the spinach, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil and mix. Set aside.
Glass Noodles | Dangmyeon
Korean Glass Noodles - 8 oz
Soy Sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Toasted Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package instructions, about 8 minutes or until the noodles become clear and soft all the way to the center of the noodle. Rinse the noodles in cold water and drain well. Cut the noodles a few times if it’s too long. In a mixing bowl add the noodles, soy sauce, sugar and toasted sesame oil. Mix well by hand or using two forks. This process will season the noodles and also keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Set aside.
Marinade
Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp
Toasted Sesame Oil - 2 tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 2, minced
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Ground Black Pepper - 1 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1 tbsp
In a small mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, ground black pepper and brown sugar. Whisk it all together and set aside.
Bringing It All Together
In a large mixing bowl, add all the cooked vegetables - carrots, peppers, onions, scallions. mushrooms and spinach. Then add the noodles and the marinade. Mix it all together by hand or a set of salad servers if you don’t want to get your hands dirty. Taste test for more salt or pepper, if needed. Transfer the noodles to a large serving platter and add the egg garnish (jidan) on top.
Japchae is best served at room temperature but it can be served warm too. Glass noodles will spoil if left out longer than half a day in warmer temperatures, especially in the summer so store in the fridge right away. It can be stored in the fridge for up to a few days. It reheats well in the microwave. The noodles will get soft and chewy again. Japchae is usually served with bulgogi - thin, marinated slices of beef, just like we did!
Ps. If you want us to share our beef bulgogi recipe, let us know by leaving a comment below.
If you do recreate our recipe, be sure to
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