Japchae – Korean Glass Noodle Stir-fry

Who doesn’t love bouncy glass noodles coated with a savory and slightly sweet sauce paired with colorful vegetables that are addicting AND refreshing?

Today, we are finishing my Korean drama series strong with one of the most classic and popular Korean Dish ever, Japchae – Korean Glass Noodle Stir-fry. We are making a vegetarian version, but you can also add any protein of your choice, such as beef, pork, or chicken.

Japchae is easy to make at home, super versatile and requires only a few simple ingredients. I will be sharing how to make my homemade Japchae sauce which is a perfect balance between savory and sweet! 

The “Reply series” is one of my favorite Korean drama series on Netflix and one of the first series I ever got addicted to.

I love that you get to connect and learn every single character’s story on the show and their friendship and love feel genius and relatable.

One of my favorite quotes in life is from this show “Believing in my past choices without regret and loving them – that is the right answer, and that’s how to grow old with style.”  Warning, the storyline is relatively slow, so I recommend it mainly to those that have alot of time to commit to the drama. 

Now, back to the Japchae and the essential element of this dish, the sauce.

The key to a delicious Japchae is its sauce; my homemade sauce is a perfect balance between savory and sweet. All you need is Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Black Pepper, Honey, and Sesame Seeds.

I recommend using a high-quality soy sauce and sesame oil since the sauce plays such a massive role in Japchae. I am using Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil because not only is it delicious, it is also accessible, affordable, and high quality! 

Making Japchae is similar to making Bibimbap, it is time-consuming, but the final product is SO WORTH IT.

I know alot of people don’t find the need to saute everything separately, but I find that by taking the extra step to saute each ingredient on its own, you can keep the flavor pure and clean; you also have more control of the texture.

I am using spinach, red pepper, shiitake mushroom, onion, garlic, carrots, and shredded eggs today, but you can add another topping of your choice. 

Do you want more HEALTHY and DELICIOUS Asian Vegetarian recipes? Don’t worry, I got you! –

• Crispy Potatoes with Miso Butter
• Crispy Chinese Chives Pockets (Easy & Authentic)
• Fried Tofu with Garlic Sauce (20 Minutes or Less!)
• Authentic & Healthy 20 Minutes Vegetarian Shanghai Noodles

1. Cook the Korean Glass noodles based on package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Once noodles are cooked, coat them in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and set them aside.
2. In a pan, drizzle in oil and sauté red pepper for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside.
3. In the same pan, sauté mushroom for 1-2 minutes, remove and set aside.
4. Sauté shredded carrots for 1-2 minutes, remove and set aside.
5. Sauté onion & garlic for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside.
6. Blanch spinach in hot water for 30 seconds, remove and rest in cold water. Squeeze out all the excess water, drizzle in 1 tsp of sesame oil and 0.5 tsp of salt, and set aside.
7. Whisk 3 eggs and season with salt and pepper. In a non-stick pan, drizzle in a little bit of oil and pour on the egg. You want to make a really thin layer of the egg; once the egg is set, roll it up and set it aside. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of the pan. Once the egg has cooled down, slice it, so it becomes thin strips. 
8. Mix 5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 2 tbsp of honey, 1 tsp of black pepper, and 1 tbsp of roasted sesame in a bowl. 
9. Pour half of the sauce into the noodles and mix well. Combine the noodles and all the vegetables and eggs and pour in the rest of the sauce. Mix till thoroughly combine and enjoy! 

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Japchae – Korean Glass Noodle Stir-fry

Who doesn’t love bouncy glass noodles coated with a savory and slightly sweet sauce paired with colorful vegetables that are addicting AND refreshing? Today, we are finishing my Korean drama series strong with one of the most classic and popular Korean Dish ever, Japchae – Korean Glass Noodle Stir-fry. We are making a vegetarian version, but you can also add any protein of your choice, such as beef, pork, or chicken. Japchae is easy to make at home, super versatile and requires only a few simple ingredients. I will be sharing how to make my homemade Japchae sauce which is a perfect balance between savory and sweet!

Prep Time15 mins

Active Time20 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Asian Food, Asian Noodles, Asian Recipes, Easy, Easy Recipes, Healthy, Korean Food, QUICK RECIPES, VEGETARIAN, Vegetarian Recipes

Yield: 4 People

Materials

• 250 g of Korean Sweet Potato Starch Glass Noodles
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
• ½ Carrot shredded
• 5 Shiitake Mushroom sliced
• 1 Onion sliced
• 3 cloves of Garlic minced
• 3 cups of Spinach

Spinach Seasoning

• 0.5 tsp of Salt
• 1 tsp of Sesame Oil

Sauce

• 5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp of Honey
• 1 tsp of Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp of Roasted Sesame Seeds

Instructions

• Cook the Korean Glass noodles based on package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water. Once noodles are cooked, coat them in 1 tbsp of sesame oil and set them aside.
• In a pan, drizzle in oil and sauté red pepper for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside.
• In the same pan, sauté mushroom for 1-2 minutes, remove and set aside.
• Sauté shredded carrots for 1-2 minutes, remove and set aside.
• Sauté onion & garlic for 2-3 minutes, remove and set aside.
• Blanch spinach in hot water for 30 seconds, remove and rest in cold water. Squeeze out all the excess water, drizzle in 1 tsp of sesame oil and 0.5 tsp of salt, and set aside.
• Whisk 3 eggs and season with salt and pepper. In a non-stick pan, drizzle in a little bit of oil and pour on the egg. You want to make a really thin layer of the egg; once the egg is set, roll it up and set it aside. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of the pan. Once the egg has cooled down, slice it, so it becomes thin strips.
• Mix 5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil, 2 tbsp of honey, 1 tsp of black pepper, and 1 tbsp of roasted sesame in a bowl.
• Pour half of the sauce into the noodles and mix well. Combine the noodles and all the vegetables and eggs and pour in the rest of the sauce. Mix till thoroughly combine and enjoy!

Video

Notes

We are making a vegetarian version, but you can also add any protein of your choice, such as beef, pork, or chicken.