Korean Cuisine-Japchae

Korean Cuisine-Japchae
Korean Vermicelli Noodle

Japchae is a sweet stir-fried dish that combines vermicelli noodles made from the starch of a white sweet potato, thinly slices of beef( I‘ve replaced it with chicken), and various vegetables.  It is usually prepared with carrots, green onion, spinach, shiitake mushrooms and green peppers. Meat can be added as an option but may be left out to be served as a vegetarian dish. The noodles are grey when raw and turn almost translucent when cooked (thus given its popular nickname, glass noodles). When cooked correctly, they retain a chewy texture.

Japchae is often served at Korean parties and during special occasions as the main dish or as a side dish. It can be added to a bed of rice and mixed together to make japchaebop, bop meaning rice.

This recipe is taken from Maangchi , a Korean cuisine site.This is my first entry for the Asian Food Fest-Korea . I will be posting another Korean recipe in a day or two ! So do return back to check.

Ingredients:

·      Starch noodles (“dangmyun”) I bought the Korean Sweet Potato Vermicelli

·      150 grams of chicken

·      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,smashed and chopped

·      7-8 green onions

·      soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and sesame seeds, chopped red chillies (optional)

·       

Makes 4 servings.

The recipe would be easier to prepare if you slice and chop all the required ingredients in advance!

Prepare your ingredients before stir frying:

·        Place a pot of water and leave to boil.

·        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.

·        Cut a carrot into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.

·        Slice a package of white mushrooms (2 cups ).

·        Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.

·        Slice one onion thinly.

·        Slice 150 grams of beef/chicken  into thin strips.

Now let’s start!

1.  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.

2.  Cut the noodles several times 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.

3.  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.

4.  Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl of noodles.
*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.

5.  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 noodles.

6.  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.

7.  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.

8.  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.

9.  Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your chciken strips and 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.

10.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.I ‘ve garnish it with some chopped red chillies.

11.Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Korea, hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feasts