How to Make Japchae

Japchae is cooked separately, then combined

Japchae is boiled glass noodles tossed with stir-fried vegetables and meat in soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. It appears at almost every holiday table and celebration, so it has a reputation for being a lot of work, but the principle is simple. Each ingredient cooks at a different speed and holds a different amount of water, so you cook them one by one, season each lightly, and toss everything with the noodles at the end. Stir-fry it all in one pot and the vegetables release water, the noodles go soggy and the colors turn muddy. Cooking separately is a bit of extra effort, but it is the surest way to good japchae.

Ingredients (example for three to four)

These are typical ranges. You can swap in whatever vegetables you have, but mixing three or four colors makes it look much better. You can leave out the meat and add more mushrooms.

• 150 g glass noodles
• 100 to 150 g beef cut into thin strips for japchae, or pork
• A handful of spinach, 1 onion, half a carrot, some shiitake or oyster mushrooms, a little bell pepper (optional)
• Sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp sugar, 1.5 tbsp sesame oil, half a tbsp minced garlic, a little black pepper
• Meat marinade: 1 tbsp soy sauce, half a tbsp sugar, a little minced garlic, a little sesame oil
• Cooking oil, toasted sesame seeds, thin egg strips (optional)

Method

Cutting everything before you start makes the stir-frying go quickly. Use one pan and start with the lightest-colored ingredients so you can keep going without wiping it.

• Soak the noodles in lukewarm water for about 30 minutes, and marinate the meat
• Blanch the spinach briefly in lightly salted boiling water, rinse in cold water, squeeze dry and season with salt and sesame oil
• Cut the onion, carrot and mushrooms into thin strips and stir-fry each separately in oil with a pinch of salt
• Stir-fry the meat until fully cooked
• Boil the soaked noodles for the time on the package, drain, and toss with some of the soy sauce and sesame oil while hot
• Put the noodles, all the ingredients and the remaining sauce in a large bowl, toss by hand, taste and sprinkle with sesame seeds

When the noodles turn mushy or clump

Mushy, limp noodles usually mean they were boiled too long or left in cold water too long after boiling. Thickness and recommended times vary by product, so follow the package, pull out a strand to bite, and drain as soon as there is no hard core. Noodles that stick together in lumps cooled while still wet, so coat them with sesame oil and soy sauce right after draining and they will separate easily. If instead they are hard and chewy, they were undercooked or firmed up as they cooled; stir-fry them briefly in a pan with the sauce to soften them. Cutting long noodles a few times with scissors makes them easier to toss and eat.

Seasoning and common mistakes

Japchae tends to taste blander a little while after tossing, as the noodles absorb the sauce. Season it slightly on the salty side at first, or taste again just before serving and add a little more soy sauce and sugar. If the vegetables are not seasoned at all when stir-fried, the sauce ends up only on the noodles and the flavors feel separate. And if the blanched spinach is not squeezed well, the whole dish goes soft. Sesame oil loses its aroma easily, so add some of it at the very end.

Making ahead, storage and variations

Japchae is often made ahead for holidays, but in the fridge the noodles turn firm. Reheat it in a pan with a little water or oil, stirring as you go, and it softens again. In a microwave, sprinkle with a little water and cover. Serve leftovers over rice with a sauce thickened with starch for japchae rice, or use them as a filling for dumplings or gimbap. Leave out the meat and add mushrooms and tofu for a vegetarian version.

Cooking it in Japan or abroad

Korean grocery stores sell Korean glass noodles made from sweet potato starch. If you cannot find them, mung bean or potato starch noodles also work, but they are thinner and cook faster, so shorten the boiling time and expect a softer texture. For the meat, thinly sliced beef or pork cut into strips is fine.

Food safety and allergies

Japchae is tossed by hand with many ingredients, so wash your hands well and use food-safe gloves if you can. Wash cutting boards and knives used for raw meat before using them for vegetables. With so many moist ingredients it spoils easily, so when it sits out on a buffet table, serve it in smaller portions rather than leaving it all at room temperature, and refrigerate the rest. Soy sauce contains soy and wheat, sesame oil and seeds contain sesame, and egg garnish means checking for egg allergies too. Some noodle products contain other grains, so check the label.