Since I started my cooking video, lots of people have requested a video for Jobchae.This dish is one of Korean’s favorite traditional dishes.
Ingredients:
- Starch noodles (“dangmyun”)
- 150 grams of beef
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 1 medium size carrot
- 1 medium size onion
- mushrooms (5 dried shiitake and 1 package of white mushrooms)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 7-8 green onions
- soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and sesame seeds
Makes 4 servings.
How to prepare your ingredients before stir frying:
- Soak 5 dried shitake mushrooms in warm water for a few hours until they become soft. Squeeze the water out of them and slice thinly.
- Slice a package of white mushrooms (2 cups’ worth).
- Cut a carrot into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.
- Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.
- Slice one onion thinly.
- Slice 150 grams of beef into thin strips.
Now let’s start!
- Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
- Cut the noodles several times by using scissors and add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 1 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside.
*tip: Take one sample and taste it to see whether or not it’s cooked properly. If it feels soft, it’s finished. - In the boiling water, add a bunch of spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water 3 times. Remove any grit or dead leaves thoroughly while rinsing. Squeeze it gently to get the water out, then cut it into 5 cm pieces.
- Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl.
*tip: When you drain the hot water from the pot, don’t discard the hot water. Put it back into the pot so you can cook your spinach quickly. - On a heated pan, put a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and stir it with a spatula for 30 seconds. Put it into the large bowl (don’t burn it!).
- Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots.
- Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl.
- Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl.
- Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.
- Add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 3 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of sesame oil, and 1 ts of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, then sprinkle 1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds on the top.
- Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.
Hi Maangchi!
Love all of the recipes and they’re super easy! For the Job Chae, what kind of beef are you using? Is it flank?
for japchae, sirloin cut is good.
Anyong hase yo !Maangchi !
ive tried this recipe.. but i dont know if the taste is right or not.. how it suppose to be ??
Hi,
I love your web site! I tried a few recipes already. Could you please specify the kind of sesame oil you using in recipe: regular or tested?
Thank you
I don’t have any particular brand of sesame oil that I use, but it should be made with roasted sesame seeds.
http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/sesame-oil
Hi! Tried out this recipe today but I used bacon instead of beef and my husband ate 2 huge bowls!!!! He’s a big fan of the hot pepper paste so he had dollops of it along with the noodles…
I’m so glad you’re sharing your recipes with us… hope you’ll put up more recipes on cold noodles… they’re fantastic in hot weather!
Thank you for your update!
Hello, Maangchi! I love Jobchae and I bought the noodles already, but I have a serious problem: my stepmother is allergic to onions so I can’t use them in the house! Is there an ingredient that I could successfully substitute for the onion in this dish to give it the same flavor? I can’t use scallions either… Nor onion powder. Can’t even bring lilies in the house (same plant family) Help! I really want it to taste good! :(
: ) Make it in your friend’s house and eat it secretly!
I think japchae made without onion and green onions will still be delicious. Use lots of vegetables: spinach, mushrooms, and carrot.
Thank you! I want to make this at my friend’s house anyway, I think her family will eat it, mine won’t hahaha
Just found your site yesterday, thank you so much!
This was my wife’s favorite dish while I was studying Korean. Thanks for posting this recipe, I’m trying it out tonight!
The whole family loved it, all the way down to our 20-month old. Thank You Maangchi!
cool! Thank you for your update!
I just made this for dinner!! The first Korean recipe I made! :D
Congratulation! ooh hee! : )
Tomorrow I’m going to make sujebi. I’ll try to remember to send you a picture!!
Hello Maangchi :D
Can I use Cellophane noodles instead of these starch noodles, because these starch noodles are made of starch from sweet potatoes but the cellophane noodles are made of starch from mung beans.
thank you very much!
hi!
i love the way you julienne the carrots really quick!i never thought of that until i saw your video.i just bought black bean paste after eating jjajangmyun from a korean market here in torrance, ca. you make korean cooking very easy for non-koreans! :)
Hello!
I am an English teacher in Korea on my second year here, and I’ve decided to try my hand at cooking Korean food that I enjoy eating. I love japchae, and when I found your website and your instructional videos, it gave me the courage to finally try cooking it. It turned out wonderfully! I’m eating a plate right now. Thanks so much for this terrific website. My next cooking project is to try and make doenjang jjigae. Thanks again!
I’m happy to hear that my website encouraged you to cook Korean dishes. It’s perfect for you to learn Korean recipes while you are staying in Korea. You can get ingredients easily at cheaper price there.
Update me how your doenjang jjigae turns out.
If you can, email me some photos of Korean dishes that you made at maangchi@gmail.com to share with my other readers.
Thank you!
Thank you very much, Maangchi!
I just made and ate some Japchae which was very tasty, despite having had to resort to peanut oil (the stores here do not sell sesame oil).
I’d have a question regarding the soy sauce, because here I can only get a hold of Kikkoman soy sauce; can it be used or would it spoil the intended taste of the dish?
I used it and it was delicious none the less ;)
Thank you very much for sharing this recipe on YouTube ;)
Yours,
Quael
kikkoman soy sauce is good, too. No problem! Thank you for your update!
Great cooking shows! I like to cook vietnamese food because I have a few friends from there, but I spent a year in Korea and fell in love with the food! It is awesome! Thanks for the great recipes, I am going to try all of them! Now if only I could find a wife like you to teach me to cook :) Have a great day! Keep the videos coming!
haha, are you going to try out all of my recipes? Good luck with your Korean cooking! Awesome!
Hi fellow cook! I have recently started making Asian recipes. I teach English and the student I tutor referred me to your website. Can you tell me if this is sweet? I notice there is a lot of sugar here and I am not a huge fan of sugar. Can you let me know if all of this sugar is necessary or if I can reduce it down by half? Thank you!
You can always modify the recipe to your taste. I’m not a big fan of sweet food, either, but bulgogi and japchae are tasty when it’s sweet. Adjust the amount of sugar or soy sauce according to your taste. Thank you for your question! Welcome!
Thank you Maangchi! I`m 15 and I just made this for my 6 siblings and my mom. My little sister and mom loved it! I can`t wait for my other siblings to try it too.It`s soo healthy and tasty with Kimchi which I also made today. I feel like a Korean Chef! =) Thanks for your easy and awesome recipes!
We tried your Jabchae today. My boyfrind loved it, it is so much better than in any restaurant, because you can put as much stuff as you want. Thank you very much!!!! Can’t wait to try your stews:)
I agree with you: “it is so much better than in any restaurant, because you can put as much stuff as you want.”
I made this today and it came out better than the stuff i get in restaurants. . . Thanks Maangchi!
wonderful! Homemade japchae is the best because you are not stingy with ingredients. : )
Hi Maangchi~ This is my first comment in this site. Japchae is my favorate! I like your recipe because it is good and simple.
Thank you very much!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I went to Korea last summer to study abroad and have been craving this for so long. I just went to the Korean Market got the ingredients (practicing my broken korean lol) and just finished making it is is so yummy kamsahamnida!
Congratulation! Now you can make it whenever you feel like! : )
I am really excited about making japchae. I love ordering it whenever i go get Korean food. If i left the mushrooms out wwould it mess up the taste. Im not a big fan of mushrooms. I’ll use it if i have to, but if i can avoid it i would prefer to. :)
yes, skip the mushrooms. Modify the recipe according to your taste. I sometimes use fish cake in japchae.
Hi,
That was a great video!
Thanks for sharing your time and expertise.
I have two very different websites: one is for free help for all of life’s transitions and crises (holisticcounseling4you.com); while the other is all about chocolate (chocolateraings.wordpress.com).
Peace,
Nicole
I think Bulgogi would work in this dish. There is a restaurant that serves it with bulgogi.
Maangchi,
Can I put kosari in this dish? I have some leftovers. :) Hehe. Thank you very much!
I don’t think kosari (fernbrake) will go with japchae!
http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/kosari
i follow you to make this japchae, very delicious. i like it very much. Thankyou for sharing. ^__*
hi Maangchi!
i love your videos! and i also looove Jap Chae! i tried making it the other, my first time, and it turned out pretty good!!! i only want to know what’s the proper way to cook the noodles. do i rinse it in cold water after boiling them or not? my noodles wasn’t as thin as the ones i had before. i rinsed mine so they wont stick together and i noticed in your video that you didn’t rinse your noodles after cooking it. did the cold water cause the noodles to bloat? the korean lady told me to use rice syrup when i cook the noodles so it wont get big but since i didn’t have any idea where else to use the rice syrup, i didn’t buy it.
how do i use the rice syrup with the noodles, if i do need it to avoid getting bloated noodles, and where else can i use it?
thanks in advance!
rice syrup? I don’t know! forget about it. : )
Anyway, just follow my video direction. I don’t rinse the noodles in cold water after cooking when I make japchae. I use some sesame oil and mix the noodles right after cooking them instead.(in the video)
Hi Maanchi,
I am newbie here. I visited your website today and totally impress. By the way, I am Vietnamese and totally in love with Korean food. Yum..
I got a question on the way you prepare this dish. For Chinese/Vietnamese cuisine, we normally stir fry everything together on the fire. But it seems like you actually do it one by one and then mix together. What is the reason behind this?
Again, by seeing your website, I feel like creating a space for my Vietnamese cuisine though. I don’t grade myself a great cook but I definitely love cooking.
I have many reasons why I cook all ingredients separately. As you see, Japcahe is made with so many different ingredients.
Cooking all vegetables, meat, and noodles separately will help to keep each taste distinct and more colorful. Cooking time for each ingredient is also different.
“I feel like creating a space for my Vietnamese cuisine ”
Wonderful! Share your delicious Vietnamese recipe here:
http://www.maangchi.com/talk/forum/reader-recipes
Hi Maangchi,
First, thanks so much for your recipes (especially the videos). I’m Korean and live in Holland, far away from my family and during my pregnancy, I craved my mother’s cooking but couldn’t find the ingredients here to make them. Watching your videos was the next best thing. You made me very happy!
Question:
I want to make japchae for a party next week. Can I make it 1 day in advance. Does it keep well and what’s the best way to store it until the next day?
With warming greetings,
Yoo
Put it into an air- tight sealed container and store it in the refrigerator. When you serve it next day, reheat in the microwave oven.
Thank you! It looks awesome :] Can’t wait to try it sometime.
Great video!
can we use chicken instead of meat?
Yes, you can use chicken for this recipe. Thanks!
Chicken Is MEAT!
hey, maangchi! i’m going to be making japchae for my birthday here in denmark… i don’t think my danish friends have ever tried anything like it and i’m anxious to show them something new. but i have one question; what kind of wine goes well with it? i’ve heard chenin blanc and riesling are good choices, but i’m not sure about korean food with wine in general. any tips? (:
I don’t know much about wine! : )
Thank you so much for all your wonderful videos! I made this for the first time and it turned out delicious. I’m excited to try some of your other recipes!
Best Wishes,
Kitty
I’m so glad to hear that your japchae turned out good! Thank you for your update!
I’m having a baby shower and decided to make korean food for the party. I am making jap chae for sure, but i dont know what else to make. What do you suggest? there will be about 20-25 people there and only about 5 of them are korean. Thank you!
how about making these dishes? These are good for party and you can make it in advance
1.japchae:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/japchae
2.kimbap:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimbap
3.dakkangjung:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/dakkangjung
4. cod jeon:
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/daegu-jeon
5. sujunggwa or shikhye ?
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sujunggwa
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sikhye
Thank you so much for this recipe~ I tried it this afternoon and it was a big success! I actually used 3 bundles of noodles and 2 spinach bunches so I had to add a lot more of the sauces when I mixed everything together. I am so happy now that I can make this myself so I don’t need to always get this from a Korean shop or restaurant.
yayee,congratulation!
hi,
May i know what kind of Soy Sauce do you use?
Is it the “ABC Sauce” (Sweet kind) or
Light Soya Sauce (Salty kind) or
Dark Soya Sauce (Similar to ABC Sauce).
Thanks a lot.
I don’t know what ABC sauce is. I use dark soy sauce for japchae. http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/soy-sauce
Bento Pet,
Thank you very much! You have such a nice blog!
Maangchi! I tried your recipe for Japchae today and it was excellent!! Thank you so much!
I blogged about you here: http://onabentofrenzy.blogspot.com/2009/03/bento-197.html
i really like your website. the question came up earlier about dull knives. may i recommend an aladdin knife sharpener and get a steel hone. it truly only takes a few minutes to get a good sharp knife and is nearly foolproof.
Oh yum! I can’t wait to try this one out. I’m hooked Maangchi! Hooked on your site. You make cooking Korean food look so easy! :)
Daphany,
oh yeah? I’m happy to hear that you were satisfied with the taste of japchae you made! Japchae could be made with so many different kinds of ingredients. I make “buchu japchae” with only beef and asian chives (buchu: 부추). I sometimes add thinly sliced fish cake without using meat which is very delicious.
You must be good at cooking even though you say you are new to cooking. I’m encouraging you now. ; )
I just finished making it! I didn’t add onion or green onion since I didn’t have any. I also added zuccini. In the end it still tastes great. I’m a newbie to cooking and this was really easy! Thanks for the video and recipe. I’ll be sure to try it with onion and green onion next time to see how much flavor it adds =)
Angela,
I use dark soy sauce called “jin gan jang” in Korean.
http://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/soy-sauce
Wow! It looks good! What kind of soy sauce did you use?
Patty,
Any tender part of beef will be ok. Short Loin or sirloin part is good.
Hello- I found your wonderful youtube and website. Can you tell me what type of beef you bought for japchae? Also, is it supposed to be darker looking like the ones we buy from the korean supermarket? Is it more brown because they add more soy sauce?
Hi Maanchi!
Thanks for the Video. A friend of mine kept talking about Chapchae until we went to a new Korean restaurant here in Freiburg (Germany). Well, we weren’t impressed with the Japchae they served, so I looked for a recipe to try it out myself. I followed your recipe today and it turned out well. The noodles taste pretty much like the ones made of tapioca (cassava) we have in Thailand. But at home we use them for dessert :)
jeongham,
Congratulation!
I never remove spinach stems. You did a good job! : )
Thank you for the update!
opps. i meant i succeeded in making the japchae.
i followed everything you did and it tasted good even my relatives said so. the only thing is that they said that i needed to remove the surface of the stem of the spinach. i asked because they said something contrary to what i followed.
jungham (정함),
I don’t understand what you mean. Just follow the recipe and watch video please.
잡채를 요리하는 것이 성공!
By the way maangchi, did you do anything to the spinich besides cutting away the roots and putting them into boiling water?
kristine,
You have already made good hobakjuk and mandu. I’m sure your next cooking japchae will turn out great! Congratulation!