Saturday, November 14, 2009

Japchae 잡채, Korean Mixed Vegetables And Sweet Potato Noodles


Whenever I make bibimbap  I will end up making japchae as well, as the ingredients used in both dishes are fairly similar and tonight there is no exception. There was a piece of steak left over from our bbq a few nights ago and I can't think of a better way to use it up. Japchae (雜菜 in hanja) means mixed vegetables in Korean but the star of the dish is actually the sweet potato noodles. Serve this as a meal on its own or as a banchan. Of course you may also use it as a topping for rice which will make it japchaebap.
Substitute the beef with any kind of meat you want or make it vegetarian by omitting meat altogether, it will still be delicious. As with a lot of other Asian noodles, this one is well loved for its wonderful mouthfeel (this is a rather chewy and slippery one) so never ever overcook it!! Use any vegetable your heart desires as long as the dish looks colourful.
It has been really wonderful talking to my friend K's mother about Korean cooking; she's so passionate about food and more importantly extremely generous when it comes to sharing everything she knows about cooking. For that I feel really honoured and privileged!!  So, armed with the new found knowledge after yet another phone call to her I created my best Japchae to date. Thank you P!!
P.S Unfortunately due to the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsular, our culinary tour of Korea has to be cut short prematurely til further notice!! I'll be focusing on the food I  know best, Malaysian cuisine for a little bit, so stay tuned.

serves 2 as a one dish meal or 4 as japchaebap (topping for rice)
you'll need or rather I used;
100g of dangmyeon , soaked in water for 10 minutes, drained.
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 small zuchinni, shredded
50g of soya bean sprouts, cooked for 15 minutes and drained
2 Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water, drained and shredded
2 eggs or 1 duck egg, separate yolks from white, made into 2 different colour omelet
1 200g scotch fillet, grilled to your liking, sliced
2 spring onions, cut into 6cm length and shredded lengthwise
1tbs each of white and black sesame seeds
Saute carrot, mushrooms and zucchini with a little oil separately, mix with a little garlic, salt and dash of sesame oil.
Marinate soya bean sprouts with a little salt, a little garlic and dash of sesame oil
Boil noodles for a minute or two, drain well and mix it with a dash of sesame oil

for the dressing;
4 tbs of Korean soy
1.5  tbs of castor sugar
1.5  tbs of sesame oil
1.5  tbs of minced garlic


Ready to assemble.

Place dangmyeon in a large plate (oh I forgot to mention, cut the noodles with a pair of scissors after draining)

place everything on top of the noodles, or chuck them on if you wished.

Drizzle with sesame seeds and pour the dressing over.

Now mix everything well and those Korean gloves will come in very handy!! Serve whichever way you like :)

25 comments:

  1. Oh, love this dish, with all the healthy ingredients.

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  2. A bit like char tanghun! Why do you cooked everything separately?

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  3. I'll make this for lunch one day,I don't think the boys will get the chewy noodle mouthfeel thing! Enjoy your weekend and don't forget to post the stuffed chicken wing's recipe :)

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  4. korean sitcom fanaticNovember 14, 2009 at 12:15 PM

    I have to order this everytime I'm in a Korean restaurant. Yours looks way better than what I have eaten so far !!

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  5. Oh Christine it is very healthy indeed!!

    Yeah Anonmous not dissimilar, basically noodles and vegetables. To cook the vegetables separately is to ensure everything is cooked just right. The Korean don't have a stir fry culture as such.

    Get your mandolin first love to eat!! :)

    Thanks Korean sitcom fanatic! this has more love put in it perhaps ? :)

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  6. Thanks Mary G ! I do like cutting I mentioned that before :)

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  7. Good work mate! I'm not a big fan of the chewy spooky Asian thing lol but this sure looks good!!!!

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  8. Looking forward to the Malaysian week!

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  9. This looks so delicious. I love Korean japchae. It's one of my best favourites. I just think that Kopean foods are so healthy, esp the kimchi....just goes so well with almost anything

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  10. I am too BIBI

    Thanks Mary!! I agree with you, it is a rather healthy cuisine.

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  11. oh I love this dish as there are many things to pick up thanks for hte recipe !
    and if you like mango come and see how a french guy can prepare it !! see you
    Pierre from Paris France

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  12. Malaysian!! Nice!! May I request Penang laksa and chicken rice please??

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  13. Haha Michele I'll see about that, can't really promise anything just yet :)

    Thanks Somewhere in Singapore!

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  14. Korean dish again !! Are you a fan of Korean drama too ? ... hehehehe... I always like the way you present your food , all look so appetizing , simply irresistable !

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  15. healthy looking..so much ingredients too.. when can i ever try that... :)

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  16. Yummy...mountain of food! I can't say I've had anything Korean before!

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  17. Thanks A Full-Timed Housefly! No I'm not a fan of Korean drama haha!

    reanaclaire, it takes 30 minutes to prepare, time starts now!!

    Thanks Kitchen Butterfly! perhaps is time to try a few Korean dishes :)

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  18. Hi

    I was wondering if it is ok to use glass noodles (woon sen) instead of dang myeon? Thanks to advice.

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  19. If you really can't get dangmyeon of don't like the texture of it of course you can use woonsen but it won't have the same mouthfeel. You might also want to cut the vegetables a little more finely to match the woonsen. Hope this is of any help.

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