Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stir-Fry, 잡채)
A practical japchae recipe with Korean glass noodles, vegetables, soy sauce, and sesame oil for an easy home-cooked Korean meal.
My notes for this recipe
Japchae is a Korean glass noodle dish made with dangmyeon, vegetables, soy sauce, and sesame oil. It tastes good warm, room temperature, or packed for later.
Japchae is a quintessential Korean dish often served during holidays and celebrations, such as weddings, birthdays, and other festive occasions. While it may seem labor-intensive, you’ll soon realize how manageable it is after trying it a few times.
The beauty of japchae lies in its versatility—you can make it with whatever ingredients you have. Only mushrooms? No problem! Just noodles and mushrooms are enough. Only meat? That works too! Today, I’ll show you the traditional version, but it’s easy to adapt to a vegan-friendly recipe with just glass noodles and vegetables.
In Korea, the dish’s vibrant colors are part of its appeal: red (carrots or red bell peppers), green (spinach or green bell peppers), white (onions), and brown (mushrooms or meat). Even with just a few vegetables, japchae can look and taste amazing!
How I cook it
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare the carrot, onion, spinach or bell pepper, and mushrooms. Slice the vegetables and meat into long, thin strips so their shape matches the glass noodles. Slice the meat thinly as well.
Cook the meat
Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a large pan. Add the thinly sliced meat, 0.5 teaspoon of salt, the minced garlic, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir-fry until the meat changes color and is almost fully cooked.
Cook the vegetables
Add the sliced onion to the meat and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the carrot, spinach or bell pepper, and mushrooms. Season lightly with some of the remaining salt and cook for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked but still have a little bite. Set aside.
Used in this step- carrot
- Onion
- Mushrooms
Prepare the sauce
In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, corn syrup, brown sugar, and 1 1/3 tablespoons of cooking oil until the sugar is well distributed. Set the sauce aside for the hot glass noodles.
Cook and season the dangmyeon
Bring about 1 liter of water to a boil and add the dangmyeon. Once the water returns to a boil, cook the glass noodles for about 11 minutes. Drain and return the noodles to the pot while they are still hot. Immediately add the prepared sauce and mix thoroughly until the noodles are evenly coated.
Combine everything
Add the cooked meat and vegetables to the seasoned glass noodles. Toss everything gently but thoroughly so the meat, vegetables, and noodles are evenly distributed and coated with the sauce.
Finish with sesame oil
Finish with 1 1/3 tablespoons of sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Toss gently once more. Serve the japchae warm or at room temperature as a side dish or main dish.
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