Vegetarian, East Asian
Japchae, stir fried sweet potato noodles with vegetables
Japchae is a Korean dish of sweet potato glass noodles stir fried with spinach, carrots, mushrooms, and egg. It serves 4, takes 45 minutes, has medium difficulty, and costs about €2.30 per serving. The key to success is cooking each vegetable separately so it keeps its own color and texture.
Tonight, glossy slippery noodles stir fried in sesame oil with colorful vegetables, a Korean celebration dish.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cost per person
- €2.30
- Calories per person
- 510 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
- Season
- Winter, Spring, Fall, Summer
- The kids
- They generally like it
Japchae surprises with its texture, translucent sweet potato noodles that are slippery and almost chewy, soaking up sweet soy sauce and sesame oil without ever turning sticky. Each vegetable keeps its own bite, carrots stay firm, mushrooms turn soft, spinach stays tender. It is a Korean celebration dish, bright with color, that makes a nice change from everyday pasta.
This is the kind of dish to make on a Sunday or when you have guests, since it takes a bit of organizing with several small batches of cooking. Kids generally like the sweet and salty noodles and the egg cut into strips. Mon Chou walks you through each step so every vegetable reaches the plate with its own color intact.
The ingredients
Pantry
- Sweet potato or soy glass noodles 250 g
- Soy sauceoften in the pantry 5 tbsp
- Sugaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp
- Sesame oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
- Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
- Neutral oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
Fruits and vegetables
- Spinach 200 g
- Carrots 2
- Button mushrooms 200 g
- Onion 1
- Garlic 3 cloves
Dairy
- Eggs 2
Allergens Soy, Gluten, Eggs, Sesame
The step by step recipe
-
Cook the glass noodles in boiling water, rinse them, then cut them into shorter lengths with scissors. 8 min
Scissors cut them more easily than a knife.
-
Blanch the spinach for 1 minute, squeeze it dry, then season it with a little soy sauce and sesame oil. 3 min
Squeeze it firmly to avoid gray water pooling in the dish.
-
Stir fry separately, in a little oil, the julienned carrots, the sliced onion, and the mushrooms. 12 min
Keep the heat low to preserve bright colors.
-
Make a thin omelet with the beaten eggs, let it cool, then cut it into strips. 5 min
Use a nonstick pan with very little oil.
-
Toss the noodles with the soy sauce, sugar, chopped garlic, and sesame oil, then add the vegetables and the omelet. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 3 min
Mix by hand with a glove on, it is the traditional Korean way and the most effective.
Our tips to get it right
- Soak or cook the noodles right before mixing them in, they soften fast and turn sticky if they sit around dry for too long.
- Cut all the vegetables into strips of similar size, it helps them cook evenly and makes the finished dish nicer to eat.
- Taste the sauce before adding it to the noodles, the balance of sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil shifts depending on the brand of soy sauce you use.
The variations
- Swap the button mushrooms for soaked dried wood ear mushrooms, closer to traditional Korean japchae.
- For a vegan version, skip the egg and add pan fried cubes of firm tofu instead.
- To save time, buy pre julienned vegetables and stir fry them all together in one big pan instead of cooking them separately.
What to serve it with
- Steamed white rice
- Kimchi for some tang
- Green tea or lemongrass tea
Storage
Japchae keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. It does not freeze well, the noodles turn mushy once thawed. Reheat it in a pan over low heat with a splash of sesame oil rather than in the microwave.
Questions about this dish
Can you use rice noodles instead of sweet potato noodles?
Yes, but the texture will be softer and less chewy, and rice noodles also stick together more easily. Sweet potato or soy noodles stay closer to the original japchae.
Can japchae be made ahead of time?
You can cook all the vegetables and noodles separately ahead of time, then mix everything right before serving. The dish tastes best the day it is made, since the noodles firm up as they sit.
Why do the vegetables need to be cooked separately?
Each vegetable has a different cooking time and a color worth preserving. Cooking them all together would dull the colors and blur the texture on the plate.
Is japchae kid friendly?
Yes, the sweet and salty flavor and the slippery noodles are usually a hit with kids. You can cut back slightly on the garlic if you want to soften the flavor even more.
How long does it take to make a japchae, stir fried sweet potato glass noodles with vegetables?
Count 45 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.
How many calories are in a japchae, stir fried sweet potato glass noodles with vegetables?
About 510 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.
How much does a japchae, stir fried sweet potato glass noodles with vegetables cost?
About €2.30 per serving, or €9.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.
What allergens does this recipe contain?
This recipe contains soy, gluten, eggs, sesame. Always check the labels of the products you buy.
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