Japchae, sweet potato starch noodles stir fried with vegetables and meat, is one of Korea’s best-loved dishes, and one of the most popular on my website as well.
If anyone asks me to recommend a good potluck dish, I don’t hesitate to answer japchae for the simple reason that pretty much everyone loves it. At any gathering it’s hard to pass up these chewy, sweet, and slightly slippery noodles with colorful stir-fried vegetables and mushrooms, its irresistible sesame flavor, healthy amount of garlic, and light, refreshing taste.
Stir frying each ingredient separately seems like a lot of labor, but each one requires a different cooking time and a bit of care, and keeping the color and freshness of each ingredient intact makes for a stunning final presentation. An easy way to make it even prettier and more nutritious is to use more vegetables and less noodles, although this is hard to recommend because the noodles are delicious by themselves.
Let me know if you make this at a party! Double, triple, quadruple the ingredients and let everyone taste your japchae!
Ingredients
(serves 4):
- 4 ounces beef, filet mignon (or pork shoulder), cut into ¼ inch wide and 2½ inch long strips
- 2 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 2 to 3 hours, cut into thin strips
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces spinach, washed and drained
- 4 ounces of dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)
- 2 to 3 green onions, cut crosswise into 2 inch long pieces
- 1 medium onion (1 cup), sliced thinly
- 4 to 5 white mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1 medium carrot (¾ cup), cut into matchsticks
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (optional)
- ground black pepper
- kosher salt
- vegetable oil
Directions
Marinate the beef and mushrooms:
- Put the beef and shiitake mushrooms into a bowl and mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil with a wooden spoon or by hand. Cover and keep it in the fridge.
Make the egg garnish (jidan):
- Crack the egg and separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Remove the white stringy stuff (chalaza) from the yolk. Beat in a pinch of salt with a fork.
- Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to a heated nonstick pan. Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, and then wipe off the excess heated oil with a kitchen towel so only a thin layer remains on the pan.
- To keep the jidan as yellow as possible, turn off the heat and pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan. Tilt it around so the mixture spreads thinly. Let it cook using the remaining heat in the pan for about 1 minute. Flip it over and let it sit on the pan for 1 more minute.
- Let it cool and slice it into thin strips.
Prepare the noodles and vegetables:
- 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 it with your hands to remove any excess water. Cut it a few times and put it into a bowl. Mix with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. Put it into a large mixing bowl.
- Put the noodles into the boiling water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Stir them with a wooden spoon so they don’t stick together. Cover and keep cooking for another 7 minutes until the noodles are soft and chewy.
- Strain and cut them a few times with kitchen scissors. Put the noodles into the large bowl next to the spinach. Add 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well by hand or a wooden spoon. This process will season the noodles and also keep the noodles from sticking to each other.
- Heat up a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil with the onion, the green onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry about 2 minutes until the onion looks a little translucent. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
- Heat up the skillet again and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the white mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until softened and a little juicy. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
- Heat up the skillet and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add the carrot and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the red bell pepper strips and stir-fry another 20 seconds. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
- Heat up the skillet and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the beef and mushroom mixture and stir fry for a few minutes until the beef is no longer pink and the mushrooms are softened and shiny. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
Mix and serve:
- Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil to the mixing bowl full of ingredients. Mix all together by hand.
- Add the egg garnish and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Mix it and transfer it to a large plate and serve.
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Just try making it today! Though a few thing are missing :p it still turned out great! My family loves Japchae. Thank you Maangchi, for the nice recipe, detailed demonstration and your dedication.
Great news! Happy cooking!
Japchae is one of my favorite Korean dishes. It is perfect for a snack, and to bring as a potluck. My Korean friend brought this dish just for us. I found it is really delicious. I used to sell this dish and give this for those of my friends who is going for their potluck parties. I cook this dish in a braising way not boiled noodles then toss it right away.
goodday! may i ask if pork can substitute the beef? or is it fine if there is no meat added on japchae? thank you^^
yes, use beef. Yes, without meat, it will still be delicious. Use more mushrooms. I sometimes use shredded fish cake for my japchae instead of meat.
Hi Maangchi!
This is my first post/comment ever but I’ve been visiting your site for over 2 years now (it was just today that I signed up and why hadn’t I, right? Haha!).
Your recipes have made cooking Korean food so easy for me and my family. Our Korean pastor says my japchae tastes authentic! And that’s because of your videos! Thanks so much. I’m cooking this today for my sister’s birthday celebration. This is her favorite Korean dish.
God bless you Maangchi!
oh, awesome! Thank you very much!!
I’m having to do a project for school (my Nutrition class) and we are having to make a recipe from other countries. I picked South Korea and I found your recipes, so,
My grandma and I are going to make this one Sunday night for my project!
I can’t wait to make my first Korean dish, thanks Maangchi!
I hope you did good job on your school project! Let me know if you have an interesting story about it.
Hi Maangchi…
I heard that u’ll come to Jakarta at 8Nov? Too sad I can’t make it bcoz it’s a school days and no one take care of my kids, I have 3 kids and all of them are already school, So I’m still find a ways so that I can make it , wish me luck!! :)
I loves this dish, Japchae, I know about this dish from 1 of korean drama > Full House, the character try to make it but she having trouble with it, so I’m curious about the dish
even I’m not a korean, I’m a chinese and lived in Indonesia, I often make this korean noodle in my kitchen, and from the first time I serve it at my dining table this dish bacome 1 of our comfort food :)
Whatever our nationality is as long as all family member enjoy the dish and waiting for it to be serve again, that is a comfort food, agree ? :)
Tq for introduce this comfort food wish us!
I make a post about it here :
http://elieslie.blogspot.com/2011/10/japchae-korean-sweet-stir-fried-noodle.html
Tq maangchi!! ;)
Hi… It sounds like a great recipe, but I wanted to ask you: is it possible to use rice noodles instead of the starch noodles?
Thanks… I can’t wait to try it :)
Hi.. Maangchi :)
I like your recipes and especially your Presentations….simple and easy to follow…
i want to ask you..Why you cook the vegetables one by one ? why not just cooked all the vegetables in one frying pan ? Is the taste change if i fry together all the vegetables ?
annyeong haseyo!!!! this site is great…i love it. i’ll try this recipe tomorrow, by the way i made your bibimbap recipe and the taste is awesome,i posted the pics in my facebook… kamsahamnida
I made this recipe today. I’ve never cooked Korean food, but with your instructions, it turned out great! My boyfriend said it was almost as good as our favourite Korean restaurant, which is a huge compliment to me considering how much he loves it there.
I’m going to try your kimchi jjigae recipe tomorrow. Hopefully it will go equally well!
Thanks!
yay! I’m glad to hear that! I hope your kimchi jjigae turned out good, too!
I love cooking! know I know how to cook JapChae! Thanks!
great job, maangchi im so blessed to have stumbled in this website, you got great recipes. Kamsahamnida!!!
yay! Happy cooking!
hiii mangchi… thanx god i found your website cos i really like to taste korean food as i always saw all the delicious korean cuisine when i watch korean drama … :) This is one of my favourite.. i tried this recipe once and once i am used to it, i started to modified a bit due to ingredient lacking. and it just taste so great… anyway thanxx for this great recipe …
Great! Let me know how you modify the recipe by using different ingredients. It will be a good tip for those who have problems getting Korean ingredients, too.
Hi there Maanchi!! Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes! I want to make this dish for a party, but have to make it early. How do you suggest I warm it up before the party starts? Thank you!
Japchae tastes best right after it is made, but as you say, you have to make it in advance and keep it in the fridge. Before going to your party, reheat it. Heat up a large wok or frying pan and place your japchae in, and stir it until the noodles look shiny and translucent again.
Hi maangchi,
I tried your recipe today and my whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing and more power toyou and your show!
Regards,
Jayson
hi maangchi! i’m going to make this for 12 people tomorrow. i’m using korean glass noodles. how much in grams will i use?
also, will i just multiply your ingredients to 3? (since you mentioned that this recipe is good for 4 pax).
thanks and hope to hear from you soon!
joyce
Hi Maangchi,
How come you cook the vegetables separately instead of just cooking it all together?
Hi Manngchi,
The soy sauce you use, is it korean soy sauce? or normal chinese soy sauce will do?
Yes, it is. https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/soy-sauce You could use Chinese soy sauce or Japanese soy sauce, too.
Hi, thanks for your recipe it was delicious best japchae i ever eaten :D
the recipe is very good. i love it! i didnt have damyun at one time, and i made it with rice vermicelli. it turned out really good too!!
yes, that’s right. Vermicelli noodles work well with this recipe. Happy cooking!
Hi maangchi,
I’ve been trying to find this recipe. It is one of my favorite side dishes when eating ‘fast food Korean’ in Honolulu but I’ve never known the name until now! I’m going to try my hand at japchae tonight!(:
awesome! Enjoy your homemade japchae! : )
We cooked this dish at home then ordered this exact same dish the following night while eating at a Korean Restaurant with friends. Both my hubby and I prefer your receipe over the restaurant version!
The only thing I’d recommend for your future receipe (or youtube video) is providing an estimate prep time. I took it for granted that it’d only take me a max. of 10 mins but it was closer to 15 – 20 mins – I’m a slow cutter :)
Thank you for sharing your receipe with us – we won’t need to go out for Japchae anymore!
” providing an estimate prep time..” let me think about it. Thank you for your update!
Maangchi, I made this!
and when i made this I accidentally dropped my soy sauce bottle’s lid to the food, together with all the soy sauce…
so, I put in more ingredients and ended up in a very much and mountain like Japchae.
when my dorm friends asked me why I was cooking very many food today…
I said:
because you all eating like a rubber stomached alien
:))
and all my friend said
“good grief”
funny expression! “eating like a rubber stomached alien” Did you invent the word? If so, you are very creative! Your friends are lucky because they have a friend who loves cooking and sharing!
yay, thanks for your word…
ahh, yes, that word just come out all of sudden in order to hide my “soy sauce accident”
Yee, I am happy if my food comes out sucessfull and delicious. but I will be more happy when see mt friend face when they ate my food….
Hi there Maangchi, i couldn´t find the starch noodles !_!, should i use a regular pack of flour noodles?? Thanks again!!!!
Find cellophane noodles. It works perfectly. It’s sold at a Chinese grocery store there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellophane_noodles
Thanks a lot Maagnchi i will find them…i´ll upload the pic as soon as cooked!!
Hi !
First of all, I love your recipes and I was wondering if I can use chicken instead beef ?
Thanks~ !
Hi maangchi!I’m 16 and from Malaysia and I really love Korean food.I’m going to try this soon but I was wondering if I could use cabbage instead of spinach?
Cabbage sounds good to me! Another reason to use spinach in Japchae is for color, so you could find some green vegetables instead of spinach.
another yummy one! And so easy!
http://ikkin-bot.blogspot.com/2011/04/cooking-korean-japchae-stirfried.html
This is one of my favorite Korean dish and I always wanted to learn how to make it after having it many times at Korean restaurants. I decide to google this dish to find out more on how it is prepare and stumbled upon your website and I’m glad I did! Thank you for this DELICIOUS recipe! I had a fabulous lunch at home and also saved money from eating out!
My boyfriend and I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO wonderful!!! I bet it will taste just as good cold tomorrow! Thanks!
I have used your recipe for japchae twice now and both times it came out delicious! The second time I made japchae it turned out a lot better than the first time. I will make it again soon and I am going to try different mushrooms in place of shitake. Wish me luck!
Thank goodness for your website (just found it searching for “kim chi” last week). You made me so happy because your recipe videos make it easy to have a successful outcome when it’s our dinner time.
This is a wonderful, delicious, um um good dish!
Maangchi I love your website! So far I have made bulgogi, doejibulgogi, jjajangmyun, ddeokguk, haddeok, yukgaejang, bibimbap, and jobchae since finding your blog a few weeks ago! I think I’m becoming obsessed with Korean food, even though I never had it before now. I can’t wait to try more recipes! Thank you so much for your recipes and videos!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy Korean cooking and the food you make even though you had never tasted Korean food before.
Hi!!!
did this last week, it was goooood!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=486779982798&set=a.482271817798.268750.651837798
Im thinking of doing your simple Kimchi today, wish me luck!
ooh, looks yummy!
your site is awesome! i recommended it to all my friends here who loves to cook as well ^^ more power! jjang! fighting!
Did it again!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=268750&id=651837798&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150093731547799&set=a.482271817798.268750.651837798&theater
and the Kimchi! Superb!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=268750&id=651837798&saved#!/photo.php?fbid=10150093731812799&set=a.482271817798.268750.651837798&theater
hi! i LOVE your website! i am excited about making japchae. i have a question. instead of sugar, i want to use stevia. as this recipe calls for 3 tbs of sugar, how much stevia should i add? thanks!
I just found your site and love that I can now make Korean food at home. I was wondering if there is a difference between japchae and nengchae?! I can’t seem to find a recipe for nengchae anywhere to compare the two.
yes, they are different dishes. naengchae is served cold with sauce.