Japchae

I learned to speak a little bit of Korean words, all the easy ones thanks to the drama series and songs. But then I doubt I can survive if I am stranded in Korea alone, unless I can somehow communicate with them using one-word and thousands of gestures. I need to learn more.

Korean food - now this, I can say I know a little bit more. Bibimbap, samgyetang, banchan, gamjatang, gochujang, ddeokbokki, sundubu jjigae, seolleongtang, juk, hoeddeok, bulgogi, kimchi, doenjang, naengmyeon, kalguksu, jajangmyeon, hwe, jeon, patbingsu, kimbap, bungeoppang, etc.

Japchae is made from sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) stir fried with vegetables. It used to be part of Korean royal court cuisine, specifically invented in the early 17th century for a King. Source: Wikipedia.


Japchae

1/2 pound dried Korean sweet potato noodles
2 and a half tsp sesame oil, divided
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
2 red chillies, sliced thinly
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
3 stalks green onions, cut into 1" lengths
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms (shiitake/wood ear), sliced thinly
1/2 lb spinach, washed well and drained
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1. Fill a large pot with water and boil. Add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water. Use kitchen shears to cut noodles into shorter pieces, about 6-7 inches in length. Set aside.
2. Blanch the spinach in boiling water. Rinse immediately under cold water. Squeeze the water from the leaves and form into a ball. Cut the ball into half. Combine the spinach, half the garlic, and 1/2 tsp of the sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside to let the flavors soak in.
3. In a bowl, mix soy sauce and sugar together. Heat the cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry onion, carrot and chillies until just softened, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, green onions and mushrooms, fry for 30 seconds. Then add the spinach, soy sauce, sugar and noodles. Fry for another 2-3 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. Turn off heat, toss with sesame seeds and the remaining sesame oil.

Original recipe by steamy kitchen

Remarks: You can also include strips of beef if you want. This recipe produce a huge amount of japchae.