Jap Chae, Stir-fried Glass Noodles (with Vegetarian Option)
잡채
Jap chae, or Korean glass noodles, is a very flavorful and nutritious dish that can be served as a main meal, snack or appetizer. Traditionally, Jap chae is served on holidays or special occasions. The glass noodles ("Dang-myeon") used in this recipe are made from sweet potatoes. They have a unique and pleasant texture, and don't feel heavy like flour-based pastas. If you use this recipe and simply omit the meat, it can be an excellent vegetarian dish.
You can buy Jap Chae Ingredients online here.
Jap chae, or Korean glass noodles, is a very flavorful and nutritious dish that can be served as a main meal, snack or appetizer. Traditionally, Jap chae is served on holidays or special occasions. The glass noodles ("Dang-myeon") used in this recipe are made from sweet potatoes. They have a unique and pleasant texture, and don't feel heavy like flour-based pastas. If you use this recipe and simply omit the meat, it can be an excellent vegetarian dish.
You can buy Jap Chae Ingredients online here.
INGREDIENTS
shop these ingredients online »main ingredients | ||
| 5 oz | Glass Noodles 당면 | Buy |
| ⅓ | Onion (Medium) 양파 (1 large Korean carrot is about 11oz / 300g) | Buy |
| 1 oz | Carrot (large Korean carrot) 당근 (or your favorite mushroom) | Buy |
| ½ oz | Shiitake mushroom (dried) 표고버섯 (any cut is ok, optional for vegetarian style) | Buy |
| 3 oz | Sliced Beef Sirloin 불고기용 등심 | Buy |
| 2 oz | Spinach 시금치 | Buy |
| pinch | Garlic (minced) 다진 마늘 | Buy |
| 1 tbs | Vegetable Oil 식용유 (may need more or less) | Buy |
| ¼ tsp | Salt 소금 | Buy |
| pinch | Black Pepper 후추 (If using Wholly Ganjang, use only 45% of this amount) | Buy |
for seasoning | ||
| 3 tbs | Soy Sauce (regular) 왜간장 | Buy |
| 3 tbs | Water 물 (optional) | Buy |
| 1 tbs | Sugar 설탕 | Buy |
| ½ tsp | Garlic (minced) 다진 마늘 | Buy |
| 1 tbs | Sesame Oil 참기름 | Buy |
| 1 tsp | Sesame Seeds 깨 | Buy |
| ¼ tsp | Black Pepper 후추 | Buy |
Optional Ingredients and Substitutions
Beef: You can use any cut. Sliced thinly. You can use other meat or omit beef for a vegetarian version.
Shiitake mushroom: is usually sold in dry format. Soak in water for an hour, wash thoroughly and drain before using.
You can use any other types of mushrooms you like instead.
Minced garlic: is very nice to have especially if you are using beef but you could get away without it in this dish.
Sesame seeds: can be omitted.
instructions |
photos |
summary |
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Ingredient amounts in the recipe instructions are for the default serving size. |
Click to enlarge photos. |
Ingredient amounts in the recipe summary are for the default serving size. |
1. Soak mushroomSoak dried shiitake mushrooms in water for 1 hour, then wash thoroughly and drain. Remove stems if they are hard. (Skip this step if you are using fresh mushrooms.) |
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1
Soak
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2. Make seasoningMix all the seasoning ingredients: soy sauce (if using Wholly Ganjang instead of common soy sauce, use only 2/3 of common soy sauce), water, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, minced garlic and black pepper in a bowl. |
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3. Prepare Beef & MushroomsSlice mushrooms and beef into thin strips. |
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3
Julienne
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4. Marinate Beef & MushroomsIn a bowl, mix beef and mushrooms by hand with 2 teaspoons of the seasoning sauce and let it marinate at least for 15 minutes. If you are going to set it aside longer, keep it in the fridge. |
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4
Julienne
Add 2 tsp seasoning sauce Leave it |
5. Blanch Spinach (optional)(*This step is optional. If you don’t want to blanch it, saute in a pan instead with the seasoning for the spianch in the step below.) Remove roots of the spinach. Wash spinach thoroughly under running water. Blanch it in boiling water on high heat for 1 min. Rinse in cold water and squeeze all the water out with your hands. |
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5
Cut off roots of spinach Wash thoroughly Blanch in boiling water High Heat Rinse Squeeze water out |
6. Season spinachSeason spinach with a pinch of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of minced garlic. Mix by hand.. |
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6
Season spinach
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7. Cut carrot & onionPeel and cut carrots into matchstick size pieces. Peel and slice onion. Wash spinach thoroughly and then drain. |
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7
Julienne
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8. Boil Glass NoodlesBoil 6 cups of water in a pot on high heat. When the water starts to boil, add the glass noodles. Cook on high heat for about 6 minutes or until the noodles are fully cooked. (The noodles become soft when cooked.) Stir frequently. Do not overcook. |
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Boil 6 cups water Add glass noodles Boil Med Heat |
9. Rinse Glass NoodlesOnce the noodles are cooked, rinse them twice in cold water, then drain. |
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9
Rinse 2 times in cold water Drain water out |
10. Sauté carrot & onionCoat a frying pan with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, and preheat the pan on high heat for 1 minute. Sauté carrot and onion with a pinch of salt and pepper on high heat for 2-3 minutes or until the carrots are almost cooked. You can add more oil if the vegetables start sticking to the pan. |
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10
Coat pan with
Sauté High Heat
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11. Sauté beef & mushroomsCoat a frying pan with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, and preheat the pan on high heat for 1 minute. Sauté the marinated beef and shiitake mushrooms until the meat is fully cooked. Add some vegetable oil if they start sticking to the pan. |
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Sauté High Heat until cooked or
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12. Cut glass noodlesPlace fully-drained glass noodles in a big bowl and cut the noodles with scissors. You can just cut a few times randomly just so that noodles are easier to serve. Do not over-cut them. |
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12
Cut glass noodles |
13. Season glass noodlesPour the rest of seasoning sauce onto the glass noodles and mix well. |
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13
Mix glass noodles with seasoning sauce |
14. Mix all ingredientsAdd all the sautéed vegetables and beef to the bowl. Mix thoroughly. You can add some sesame seeds if you like. |
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14
Add all vegetables Mix |
15. Finish upSauté the glass noodles mixture on medium heat for 3 minutes or until all the noodles are warm. If you are cooking a large amount, you may need to cook on low heat for a longer time. Stir frequently so the noodles don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little bit of vegetable oil if necessary. Taste the noodles and season with salt ONLY if needed. |
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15
Sauté all Med Heat |
16. EnjoyServe the finished glass noodles on a plate. Optional: Sprinkle sesame seeds as a garnish. Enjoy! |
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Serve on plate Sprinkle sesame seeds (optional) Enjoy! |
60 min
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