Easy Japchae
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5
This is an easy quick Korean Japchae recipe. Yum!
Ingredients:
For the Meat:
8 ounces’ pork belly (pork shoulder), beef, or chicken, cut into 2½-inch-long strips
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons brown (or white) sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the Egg Garnish (optional):
2 eggs
a pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the Sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown (or white) sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
For Noodles, Vegetables, and Mushrooms:
8 ounces sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon in Korean), soaked in cold water for at least for 40 minutes
7 or 8 dried wood ear mushrooms (mogi-beoseot), washed and soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes
8 ounces king oyster mushrooms (or soaked shiitake mushrooms or white button mushrooms), sliced into long strips
1 large onion (8 ounces), sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch long and ¼" wide matchsticks
8 ounces bunch spinach, washed, with the roots cut away, and the leaves cut into 4" pieces
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Directions:
For Marinate and cooking Meat:
Combine your choice of meat, the soy sauce, brown (or white) sugar, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl.
Mix well by hand until the sugar is well melted, then cover and rest for 5 minutes.
Heat a skillet and cook the marinated meat, stirring with a wooden spoon for about 4 to 5 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
For the Egg Garnish:
Whisk the eggs and salt in a bowl, then strain into another bowl so it’s comp;eatly smooth.
Discard the stringy bits remaining in the strainer.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and swirl it around to evenly coat.
Wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel, then reduce heat to low and add the egg mixture to the skillet.
Lift and tilt the skillet to spread egg that covers the bottom of your skillet.
Let it cook for a minute until the bottom of the egg pancake is lightly cooked but not brown.
Flip the egg pancake and remove from the heat, rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.
Let the pancake cool for a few minutes, then slice it into thin strips.
Cover the strips with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.
For the Sauce:
Combine the soy sauce, ingrediants in a bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved, cover and set aside.
Put the Japchae together:
Drain the wood ear mushrooms and put them on your cutting board.
Cut off the tough stems and discard them. Cut the caps into bite-size pieces and put them into the pot.
Add the king oyster mushrooms, carrot, and onion to the pot.
Add oil and water to the pot, then mix with your hands so that everything is nicely coated with oil.
This will prevent the ingredients from turning brown from the sauce, and keep them from burning as you cook.
Spread the spinach over top in an even layer.
Drain the noodles and cut them into 5 to 6" lengths with scissors.
Place them on top of the spinach in the pot.
Drizzle the seasoning sauce on top of the noodles.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
Open the lid and stir and gently toss all the ingredients with a wooden spoon and tongs for 1 to 2 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated and the noodles are nicely cooked and shiny.
Add the cooked meat (if using), 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds.
Gently toss the mixture so that all the ingredients are evenly distributed, then transfer to a large platter.
Garnish with the egg paper strips (if using) and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, and serve. Enjoy!
Thanks |