Friday, 13 April 2012

Japchae - 잡채


Japchae(잡채) is a Korean dish cook with cellophane noodles(glass noodles) which is made from sweet potato starch(dangmyeon) mixed with sesame oil, soy sauce and a variety of vegetables or like the above with some meat such as "beef". In the past, this noodle is usually served at special occasions like weddings, birthdays and parties but now it is often served as a side dish(also known as "banchan") at some Korean restaurants.

Friendly speaking I am not a fan of Japchae/Glass Noodles and I remember I did not even pay much attention to it my Korea trip. But lately this Korean-style noodles kept flashing in my mind even since I watched the Korean drama known as "City Hunter(시티헌터 )" cast by Lee Min Ho(李民浩 ) and Park Min Young(樸敏英) where both of them loves to eat this dish in some of the scenes shown.


JAPCHAE
(잡채)


Indeed this Korean Stir-fry Glass Noodles is quite similar to our Asian Stir-fry Cellophane noodles(炒东粉) but in a while Korean noodles are a bit thin in texture compared to ours. Personally I love their  sweet and fragrant Japchae sauce which is mainly consists of light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and minced garlic.


(Serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Packet CJ Brand Japchae(韩式炒粉丝)
100g Beef Fillet, cut into 2" long sticks
1 Medium Brown Onion, thinly sliced
1 Medium Carrot, shred into 2" long
4 Medium Fresh Shiitake Mushroom, sliced
2 Stalks Spring Onion, cut into section
2 Garlic Cloves(minced), optional
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Roasted Sesame Seeds
Some Chopped Spring Onion
100g Spinach(optional), cut into sections

Method:-
1. Boil glass noodle in boiling water for about 3 minutes, till soften. Rinse with water, drained well and put in a large bowl.

2. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan, saute minced garlic, brown onion and spring onion till fragrant, stir in shiitake mushrooms and marinated beef strips with 1 Tablespoon of Japache sauce (mix 1 teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds with the pre-mixed Japache sauce included in the pack) and give it a quick toss.

3. Next add in the shredded carrot, cooked noodles and Japache sauce into the pan and cook on low heat, stirring frequently until all the sauce is mixed well.

4. Drizzle some extra sesame oil and mix well before serving.


For those who can't get hold of this CJ Brand Japchae(韩式炒粉丝) that comes with pre-mixed Japchae sauce, you can use any other brand of Glass Noodle/Dangmyeon (about 30 - 35g) for this recipe. And as for sauce you can use this mixture shown below:-

Ingredients:
2.5 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Sesame oil
2 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1.5 Teaspoons Roasted Sesame Seeds

Method:-
1. Mix all the ingredients together until sugar dissolved.


KOREAN RICE CAKES WITH RAMEN NOODLES
Rabokki(라볶이)


Stay tune for my next Korean dish which is known as "Rabokki(라볶이)", or "Korean Rice Cakes with Ramen Noodles". Kamsahamnida(감사합니다, 좋은 주말 되세요)!

16 comments:

  1. I love Japchae too...simple and healthy! great texture too. Your rabokki looks so yummy! Never heard of it before but can't wait to find out :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Fern, you have a wonderful blog and great collection of recipes. I have bookmarks quite a few to try out :) Keep up the good work, cheers!

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  2. Japchae is my favorite banchan dish! Many times when banchan is served before the main course, I will attack the Japchae like crazy, and almost forgotten I still have a main dish coming up :P

    Your Japchae looks really good! Those I have tried before do not even have so much 料 :)

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  3. I love Korean food and it's great you have been sharing a lot of Korean food! Japchae is my kids' favorite!

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  4. Keep bringing on the amazing Korean dishes!!! I'm Korean, but can't cook for the life of me, and your awesome step-by-step guides are giving me (and my husband) hope of survival! ;)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words :) Hope some of these simple Korean dishes are of source to you.

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  5. Ellena, can I check with you, what are those ingredients you used to marinate the beef? Can i substitute beef with Chicken? Thank you!

    Serene

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Serene, I just used some of the Pre-mixed Japchae in the packet to marinate the beef :) And sure you can replace the beef with chicken or pork according to your preference.

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    2. Thank you Ellena =p had bought the Japchae....gonna try it soon! =))

      Serene

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  6. gosh i just bought the korean noodles will try out your recipe. yummy!

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  7. great post. i am very impressed

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  8. My daughter love Japchae a lot,,you remind me i have so long did not cook for her..Yours look delicious too.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Sonia. This is my 1st try in cooking Japchae and i find it pretty similar to our Chinese Stir-fry Dongfen style :-

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  9. I seriously need a noodles fix. It's lunch time here, the more I look at your recipes, the more hungry I become! I need to get my lunch! ;)

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  10. Hello, I bought that CJ Japchae some time ago but for some reason, forgot where I bought it here in Singapore. Would you know where? Would really appreciate a reply!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Vina, You can find it in most local supermarket, near the instant noodle section :) If not search those Korea Stores at Novena sq, Vivo City and Tampines 1 Mall

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Ellena (Cuisine Paradise)

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