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:

  1. 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.shiitakejapchae seasoning

Make the egg garnish (jidan):

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.japchae egg garnish
  4. Let it cool and slice it into thin strips.

Prepare the noodles and vegetables:

japchae vegetables

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.japchae beef

Mix and serve:

  1. 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.japchae (잡채)
  2. Add the egg garnish and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Mix it and transfer it to a large plate and serve.

japchae (잡채)

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555 Comments:

  1. Drifty United States joined 8/14 & has 1 comment

    I made this, and not only is it amazing and delicious, but it’s really fun to make! I love all your recipes!! :D I’ve learned so many awesome things from you!

  2. takagi Santa Clara, CA, USA joined 7/14 & has 3 comments

    Easy and so good! This was the first Korean recipe I have ever tried. I’m very happy and so is my tummy! Thank you, Maangchi! I’m totally making this again.

  3. Hi^^
    I dont eat cane sugar so i used honey in this recipe. Substitution was around 2/3 of the amount compared to how much sugar is called for. It tasted very nice, especially since i used tamari soy sauce. I also didnt have much sweet potato noodle left so i used buckwheat noodles along with, it was nice ^^

  4. 2Beagles& has 1 comment

    I didn’t watch the video before buying the ingredients, so I wasn’t sure how much noodles to buy. After watching the video, I realized I don’t have enough. But I do have a Vietnamese rice noodle in my pantry. Is this okay to use?

  5. Lorie Tacoma joined 7/14 & has 1 comment

    I just made this for my boyfriend and he said it was perfect! We have a Korean friend that makes it for us sometimes but I wanted to learn to make my own. The directions were very clear and tasted just like what she gives us. Thank you-yum yum!

  6. halfkoreangirl Omak, Washington joined 6/10 & has 4 comments

    My mom used pork would that be okay too?

  7. sk12 Singapore joined 5/14 & has 1 comment

    hi, i would like to make this dish but can i use white sugar and oyster soy sauce to replace brown sugar and dark soy sauce.

  8. Klaas Amsterdam joined 4/14 & has 1 comment

    Made this last night in my first attempt at Korean cooking, and it went quite well! Thanks for your amazing website, I’m certainly going to make this more often.

    I have one question; I found all the ingredients at a local Korean store, and when I told them I was going to make Japchae they recommended corn syrup (the bottle label says 촉촉한 윤기 울엿) instead of sugar. I bought the bottle and used it, but I wondered what your stance on this is.

  9. winniechuang01 Netherlands joined 3/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi,
    I tried your japchae recipe for the first time today! It was a lot of work to prepare all the ingredients separately before mixing and seasoning them together at the last part. The japchae turned out to be very tasty and was totally worth the effort! Love it! Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152310456860450&set=a.10151150017255450.497363.742470449&type=1&relevant_count=1

    Just wondering if there are other recipes that uses the glass noodles, it is quite a big packet to finish?

  10. Dreamtrekker Pennsylvania joined 3/14 & has 2 comments

    I’ve always been hesitant to try this recipe but with your video I didn’t realize how easy this was. My 18 yr old daughter helped, she doesn’t care much for cooking and loved making it. Thanks!

  11. Candy87 South Lake Tahoe joined 12/13 & has 6 comments

    Trying out this recipe today along with the bulgogi recipe. Cannot wait for every one to try it!

  12. seolryeo0227 malaysia joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    hi maangchi~what type of sesame oil should i use? white or black?

  13. drama_lover2503 Costa Rica joined 1/14 & has 1 comment

    Oh God! That looks so yummy and simple! I’m going to try to make it this weekend, thanks so much for the recipe, I love your food! >w<

  14. HyeNa New York joined 12/13 & has 6 comments

    Can I use wood ear mushrooms instead of white mushrooms? What variations or additions can I make to this recipe? Chives? Bell peppers?

  15. David San Francisco joined 5/12 & has 2 comments

    Made a double vegetarian batch (just subtracted out the meat) last night for my classmates tonight. The entire double batch WAS GONE in about 15 minutes! Everyone loved it!

  16. musiqueducoeur2 Ohio joined 8/13 & has 1 comment

    Fantastic job! I made this tonight after watching your bulgogi video and thought it would taste good in Japchae! So I marinated the meat in your smelled like heaven marinade (used tenderloin beef) but still used your recipe as follows to make sure I had that Japchae flavor. Not a mushroom fan and put the minced garlic in with the onions as I sautéed them. Used more soy sauce and used less oil (trying to keep it lower in fat) but my goodness I have made this recipe before and those tasted like garbage compared to yours! You really know how to bring out the flavor in food! Can’t wait to try more from your site! Oh yeah your bulgogi recipe is out of this world! That I did not change a bit and would never think about cause it is perfect!!

  17. franseen New York City joined 7/13 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi, does it matter what kind of soy sauce or sugar I use? Dark Soy, Light Soy? White Sugar or Brown Sugar?

  18. hyunjinah San Diego joined 7/13 & has 1 comment

    Every time I cook these noodles, they come out in a huge sticky clump :-\ I’ve tried adding more water, oil, soy… Do you have any suggestions or know what I’m doing wrong? Thank you!

  19. Nabi972 Dallas, TX joined 6/13 & has 2 comments

    Maangchi, you’re great! Thanks to you, I can cook Korean dishes for my husband and parents! Also, I’ve used your recipes to impress friends and in-laws. My daughter loves chap jae! Your recipes have come in handy. Thank you!!!

  20. Vegetarian Chopsticks San Jose, CA joined 4/13 & has 1 comment

    Thanks for the recipe! I made a vegetarian version of it: http://vegetarianchopsticks.blogspot.com/2013/03/korean-chapchae.html

  21. mcaren Virginia Beach, VA joined 3/13 & has 1 comment

    Wow maangchi — what a great video! I was trying to figure out what those transparent noodles were called when I stumbled onto your site — thanks for the instructions. I can’t wait to try the recipe! I know my daughter will love this. Thanks!

  22. Ethlenn Poland joined 2/13 & has 2 comments

    I could eat this everyday, my favorite Korean food ever!! But since I’m not fond of shiitake, I use mun mushrooms or white mushrooms^^

  23. Winchesquirrel Quebec, Canada joined 10/12 & has 3 comments

    I tried it with Bean Sprouts instead of Glass Noodles, since I couldn’t find the exact kind of noodles I needed and didn’t want to mess it all up … I pan-fried the sprouts in olive oil and added the sesame oil / soy sauce as you said to do with the noodles. I didn’t change anything else and served it on top of rice. My family loved it ! It felt like we were eating out ! So tasty ! c:

  24. Jasper Philippines joined 5/11 & has 26 comments

    My mom and I live far apart from each other (3hours drive) because I’m studying a university now. Last June 18 was her birthday. I was hesitant about going home, because the very next day, I’d have classes. It would be so stressful. But in the end I decided to come home, and I cooked japchae for her. We’re Filipinos, but my mom just loves this dish.

    I used to read in your site that people expressed their love to people they valued through cooking. I didn’t understand it at first. I thought, “Hey I’m just cooking because I love to cook, and because I love to eat delicious food! What does this have to do with love?” But that day I sort of understood it. My mom told me, “Oh life is so hard these days. We’re so busy working to send you guys to school, that we don’t have time to eat proper meals anymore. It’s great that I’m able to eat delicious food again! I love this Korean noodles!Thank you for coming home and cooking for my birthday.” Oh yes, I felt touched that time. I also thought, “Oh, I’m not the best child to my mother all the time. Sometimes, I do things that hurt her. I don’t know how to make up for it all, but at least through my cooking, I could express my love for her.”

    Thank you Maangchi. You taught me how to cook delicious food that made my mother happy. :) You’re really great.

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      Thank you very much for sharing your touching story with us! Yes, food is always more than food and it’s also our emotions and memories. You are such a good daughter. It makes my heart warm. Cheers!

  25. driskell938 Cape Coral, FL joined 6/12 & has 1 comment

    Thank you so much for your wonderful website. My korean mother-in-law has taught me several recipes but since she goes very fast and only measures by hand and taste I have been unable to keep up with her. I showed her your site and she loved it!

  26. kat kalashnik United States joined 3/12 & has 1 comment

    made japchae at home the first time and it came out great and ended up eating all myself. the second time i made the meat differently. i used the bulgogi marinade on the beef and set it overnight and the next day i made the japchae with that meat and it came out so masita.. my family just loves it. thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.

  27. fluffycakes The Netherlands joined 4/12 & has 3 comments

    Hmm… looks delicious! I might want to make this tonight. Can I use Chinese cabbage instead of spinach, too?

  28. Eggy24 Singapore joined 3/12 & has 1 comment

    I tried making it according to ur receipe bt can’t seem to get the taste I ate at restaurant. Think I forgot to add sugar. Is it a important ingredient? Do I have to get Korean sesame oil to make the dish taste better?
    Thanks

  29. Hello. I just made this. I want it sweeter, how can I do that? I already added moreee soy sauce and like 5 tablespoon sugar.

    Also, do I leave leftover in fridge? or outside?

  30. nsbose Boston joined 2/12 & has 1 comment

    Maangchi, I don’t really eat beef, can I use any other type of meat to make this instead? Pork Belly? Chicken??

  31. alfalazcares Mexico joined 1/12 & has 4 comments

    I’m totally trying this tomorrow, I just got my last two ingredients from a couple of Korean markets here in Mexico City. I hope it will turn out nice, cause It’s totall my first time cooking something by myself… wish me luck!

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      oh there were several Korean grocery stores in Mexico city! I feel like flying to Mexico city now to taste my favorite taco! https://www.maangchi.com/blog/food-food-in-mexico
      Good luck with your first time Korean cooking!

      • alfalazcares Mexico joined 1/12 & has 4 comments

        I’m so glad you had a great time here in Mexico! Specially in Oaxaca since botn of my grandparents (from my mothers side) are from there, and you tried Mezcal! I hope you can come back to eat some of those tacos :)
        Well, my mom and I got around making this recipe and we totally loved it! I think we still have to work on the amount of soy and sesame oil, but it tasted super great, and mom also loved it! Thankyou so much for the recipe and video, my mom doesn’t speak english, but with your video she understood everything, and I just help her translating some things (I’m 25 by the way and loving Korean food) We are making this again one day, and we are also gonna try something else like the bibimbap and some chicken dishes.
        Anyway thank you sooooo much again, and lastly I’m leaving a pic of our first try at japchae! http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b215/darkdirtyalfa/120202_160201.jpg (we added some sweet pepper)

        • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

          Imagining you and your mom’s cooking together makes me feel warm! Your japchae looks awesome! If you make more, please upload it on my website so that more people can see your delicious food photos!
          Say hello to your mom!

  32. I’ve heard that glass noodles can be used to make Japchae. Are glass noodles like the equivalent of the starch noodles and can they be used for this dish?

  33. Walkinlove Twin Cities, MN joined 12/11 & has 2 comments

    I add leftover cilantro stems and added to the dish. It smelled so delicious and taste so crunchy!

  34. Leah Boise, ID joined 11/11 & has 4 comments

    I made japche for dinner tonight. My husband ate 2 plates. After my 17 month old son was done throwing his noodles around, he picked them off his face and shirt and ate every last bite. So yummy! Thanks for sharing your recipes with us :-)

  35. DominiqueEchard North Carolina joined 5/09 & has 36 comments

    Just made this – what a quick and easy dinner! Looking forward to my boyfriend coming home so we can have this with some barley rice and steamed shishito peppers side dish. Since you say this is best fresh I made 1/2 the recipe for the 2 of us. Thanks again for making my belly happy, Maangchi!

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