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Sweet potato starch noodles stir fried with vegetables

Japchae 잡채

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)

Posted on Sunday, July 15th, 2007 at 8:42 pm. Last updated on September 12, 2022.
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546 Comments:

  1. CalifornianInBarcelona Barcelona, Spain joined 10/16 & has 5 comments
    Posted August 30th, 2021 at 10:49 am | or create a profile.

    I used stir-fried Seitan cut in strips instead of beef. And I seasoned it with a little dry sherry.

    I substituted red pepper and used Daikon instead, and it was good

    This recipe is delicious

  2. janodhi Sri Lanka joined 8/21 & has 2 comments
    Posted August 6th, 2021 at 8:13 am | or create a profile.

    Can I use rice vermicelli instead of glass noodles?

  3. janodhi Sri Lanka joined 8/21 & has 2 comments
    Posted August 6th, 2021 at 2:24 am | or create a profile.

    Can I use chicken instead of beef or pork?

  4. jillipoo Wine Country joined 4/21 & has 1 comment
    Posted April 17th, 2021 at 12:28 am | or create a profile.

    I made this last night and it tasted delicious but the noodles clumped together after the 10 minutes in the pan with the other ingredients. I tried separating them but was not successful. What did I do wrong?

    • mina-mi San Francisco joined 8/21 & has 1 comment
      Posted August 9th, 2021 at 1:42 am | or create a profile.

      Have the 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon sugar already mixed before you make the noodles. After boiling and draining the noodles, add in the mixture. The sesame oil will prevent clumping. If there is still sticking, add more sesame oil or a neutral tasting oil.

  5. mohair3 Southern Indiana joined 9/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted September 28th, 2020 at 10:18 pm | or create a profile.

    Delicious! This is a keeper recipe for us. Although I used mung bean noodles, I will use sweet potato noodles next time.

  6. zc114 New Jersey joined 7/20 & has 3 comments
    Posted September 17th, 2020 at 4:20 pm | or create a profile.

    I made your japchae and my family loved it! My mom said I cooked the noodles better than her!


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  7. Cici hernandez Philippines joined 9/20 & has 4 comments
    Posted September 10th, 2020 at 4:22 am | or create a profile.

    The whole bag of sweet potato noodles was a lot!!! So I shared them with some friends and they love the jjajangmyeon! My friends says it taste like Bon chon!!!


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  8. JANELC57 TORONTO joined 7/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted July 5th, 2020 at 1:18 pm | or create a profile.

    I made with without meat but used mixed mushrooms with a meaty texture. I cooked all the veggies in my wok together but started with onions, then marinated mushrooms, and adding the remainder when almost done. I would say if 4 people are hungry I would double it. I’m not sure I’ve ever had as many compliments about a dish I’ve made. This was a huge hit! The next day family were still talking about it. Thanks for another outstanding recipe!

  9. fatemms uk joined 6/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted June 8th, 2020 at 9:48 am | or create a profile.

    Hi Maangchi, I’ve had japchae cold in a korean restaurant and I loved it, I remember the noodles being very slippery but I loved it. Do you know if it’s possible to make the japchae cold?

  10. WishfulsoUl Oslo joined 3/20 & has 17 comments
    Posted April 17th, 2020 at 4:11 pm | or create a profile.

    This dish is just amazing and very simple to make, it’s also good choice when you have just anything veggies available on hand to mix in with the noodles :-)


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  11. Hula Girl Kauai, Hawaii joined 1/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted April 10th, 2020 at 12:53 pm | or create a profile.

    Made it for my daughter’s birthday. It turned out great!


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  12. Wonder Toronto joined 1/20 & has 2 comments
    Posted February 25th, 2020 at 7:17 pm | or create a profile.

    I just made it! And it’s sooooo good, thank you Maangchi


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  13. Haynaoko United Arab Emirates, Dubai joined 1/20 & has 1 comment
    Posted January 23rd, 2020 at 2:57 am | or create a profile.

    Ca

    Is there a substitute for beef and pork?

  14. chimmyonflowerroad lebanon tn joined 9/19 & has 1 comment
    Posted September 29th, 2019 at 7:39 pm | or create a profile.

    So my i have people who are allergic to mushrooms in my home. Is it ok to omit the mushrooms?

  15. aireeuh Washington State joined 6/19 & has 3 comments
    Posted June 16th, 2019 at 12:04 am | or create a profile.

    I have made your recipe for japchae several times and it never fails! I forgot to buy eggs when I went shopping so I left those out. I cooked several Korean dishes for some friends and the noodles were a huge hit.


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    • Theda.Zelle Norfolk, VA joined 12/20 & has 1 comment
      Posted December 12th, 2020 at 1:32 am | or create a profile.

      Hello, Maangchi! I was wondering if you still have your original (older) japchae video uploaded somewhere, as I can’t seem to find it anywhere! It was my favorite. Is that video available anywhere else? I’ve been a fan of yours for many years! Thank you for everything ❤️

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