Japchae (Korean Sweet potato starch noodles stir fried with vegetables and beef)

Rating: 4.5/5
Serving: 5-6
Preparation: 1.5-2 hrs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef (chuck steak), cut into 1/4 inch wide and 2 1/2 inch long strips
• 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vegetable oil
• Sesame oil
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 large eggs
• 1 lb spinach, washed and drained
• 8 oz of dangmeyon (sweet potato starch noodles)
• 4 green onions, cut crosswise into 2 inch long pieces 
• 1 medium onion (1 cup), sliced thinly
• 10 white mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 2 medium carrot (1 1/2 cup), cut into matchsticks
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Directions: 

Marinate the beef and shiitake mushrooms:

1. Put beef and shiitake mushrooms into a bowl and mix with 4 cloves of garlic, 4 tsp sugar, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, and 4 tsp of sesame oil. Cover and keep in fridge. 

Preparing the noodles and vegetables

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds-1 minute. Take it out with a slotted spoon or strainer. Keep the water boiling to cook the noodles.
2. Quickly rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Squeeze it with your hands to remove any excess water. Cut it a few times and put it in a bowl. Mix with 2 tsp of soy sauce and 2 tsp of sesame oil. 
3. Put the noodles into the boiling water. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Stir with a wooden spoon so it doesn't stick together. Continue to cover and cook for another 7 minutes or until the noodles are soft and chewy. 
4. Strain and cut them a few times with scissors. Put the noodles in a large bowl and mix with 4 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp sugar. This process will season the noodles and keep them from sticking together. 
5. Heat up skillet over medium heat. Add 4 tsp vegetable oil with onion, the green onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry about 5 minutes until the onion looks translucent. Transfer to the noodle bowl.
6. Heat up the skillet and add 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Add carrot and bell peppers and stir until slightly softened, about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to noodle bowl.
7. Heat up skillet and add 4 tsp of vegetable oil. Add the white mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until softened and a little juicy. Transfer to noodle bowl. 
8. Heat up skillet and add 4 tsp of vegetable oil. Add the beef and mushroom mixture. Stir fry for a few minutes until the beef is no longer pink and the mushrooms are softened. Transfer to noodle bowl. 

Make the egg garnish (jidan):

1. Crack the egg and separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Remove the white stringy stuff from the yolk. Beat in a pinch of salt with a fork.
2. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to a heated pan. Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, then white off the excess heated oil with a kitchen towel so only a thin layer remains on the pan.
3. To keep the jidan as yellow as possible, turn off the heat and pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan.Tilt it around so the mixture spreads thinly. Let it cook using the remaining heat int he pan for about 1 minute. Flip it over and let it slit on the pan for 1 more minute.
4. Let it cool and slice it into thin strips. 
5. Repeat for second egg. 

Mix and serve: 

1. Add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp ground black pepper, and 4 tsp of sesame oil into the noodle bowl. Mix. 
2. Add the egg garnish and 2 tbsp sesame seeds. 

*At this step, I actually heated this mixture on low heat in a pot. 

My review:

DELICIOUS. I added more meat in my version because I prefer it that way. Also, I used fresh Shiitake mushrooms, which soaked up the marinade very well. This was a fairly simple dish to make. It just takes a lot of time to prepare the ingredients.

Happy cooking and eating!

Adapted from:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/japchae