When we’re in the mood for Japchae, we usually pick some up from a local Korean café that makes a fantastic version. But I thought I’d give making it at home a try, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out!
If you’ve never had Japchae, it’s a popular Korean noodle dish made with chewy, slightly sweet potato starch noodles, stir-fried vegetables, and usually some kind of meat. Everything is seasoned and cooked separately, then combined, which gives the dish so many delicious layers of flavour. It’s one of those meals that’s colourful, satisfying, and a great way to use up whatever vegetables you have on hand.
I love the bulgogi meat from Costco, and I usually split a package up so I can get about three meals from it. Japchae is a great way to use that bulgogi, along with whatever veggies you have in the fridge. I especially love how all the individual ingredients are seasoned separately before being tossed together. It might seem like a few extra steps, but those layers of flavour are what make Japchae so delicious!
For the version in the photo, I didn’t have any carrots, but I always add them when I have some on hand. I also didn’t have Korean spinach and only had a small handful of baby spinach. I definitely prefer using Korean spinach and adding carrots when I can, but sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got!
And then there’s the Dasida. For me, this is a must-have in this recipe. It adds just that little extra bit of savoury goodness that makes the whole dish even more delicious. You can usually find it at a good Asian market, so if you’re making Japchae, I’d definitely recommend picking some up. It’s that little something extra that really makes a difference!
Japchae with Bulgogi Meat
Ingredients
- 8 oz sweet potato glass noodles
- 1 large bunch Korean spinach
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 small onion julienned
- 2 carrots julienned
- salt
- pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dasida
- 1 lb bulgogi
- Oil for cooking
Spinach Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp dasida
Noodle Seasoning
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Final Seasoning
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds roasted
- 1 tsp dasida
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Vegetable Preparation
- Mince the garlic.
- Finely mince the ginger.
- Slice the onion into thin strips and julienne the carrots.
The Noodles
- Boil a pot of water with a splash of oil in it. Once it is boiling, submerge the noodles into the water. Turn OFF the heat and cover the pot with lid. Set a timer for 6 minutes. Watch the timer closely! You really have to prevent overcooking these noodles!
- After 6 minutes, taste the noodles. It should NOT be al dente. It should be chewy and not overcooked. If al dente, cook for another 1 minute with the lid on top, and check again.
- Remove noodles and strain. Do NOT run it under water.
- Add them to a large mixing bowl and gently mix the noodle seasoning. (I also cut into more manageable pieces.)
The Spinach
- Wash 1 bunch of large spinach (285g). Do NOT cut off stems. Set aside in a strainer.
- In a large pot, add water halfway. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Let the water come to a boil. Prepare a separate large bowl with cold water and some ice.
- Use a tong to grab a handful of spinach and submerge in boiling water, swirling it around just until the spinach transforms into a rich, deep green (about 15 seconds).
- Immediately submerge spinach into a bowl of cold water and some icecubes. Once all the spinach is in the cold bath, set aside in a strainer.
- Let the spinach sit in the strainer for 10 min. Then, grab blanched spinach by the handful and squeeze by the fist until no liquids drip out of your palm (don't over squeeze).
- Snip spinach into smaller pieces (approx 3in long).
- Season with the spinach seasoning, mixing gently and thoroughly, and set in fridge to completely cool.
Cooking
- Heat a wok over medium low heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add the carrots and onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Once carrots begin to soften, season with salt, sugar, black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of dasida.
- Remove from the pan and add to the mixing bowl.
- Saute the bulgogi, adding oil if needed, until cooked. (I like to let it sit in the wok until a crust forms, then flip and let it sit again until a crust forms, then break up, finishing the cooking.)
- Add to the mixing bowl, along with the spinach, and toss with the Final Seasoning so that everything is well blended.
- Let sit for 30 minutes.