Japchae (Korean stir-fried sweet potato glass noodles with beef)

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice the beef very thinly across the grain. In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp of the soy sauce (about 15 ml), 1 tsp of the cornflour, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, the minced garlic (use 1 garlic clove) and the black pepper. Add the beef, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the sweet potato glass noodles and cook for 6–7 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and cut the long noodles into more manageable lengths (roughly 20–25 cm) with scissors or a knife.

3. 3

   While the noodles cook, prepare the vegetables: thinly slice the brown onion, julienne the carrot, halve or slice the chestnut mushrooms and thinly slice the spring onions.

4. 4

   Blanch the baby spinach in a small pan of boiling water for 20–30 seconds, then drain in a colander and press out excess water with kitchen paper. Roughly chop and set aside.

5. 5

   Heat half the vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the marinated beef in a single layer and stir-fry until just browned, about 2–3 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.

6. 6

   Wipe the pan, add the remaining vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the sliced brown onion and carrot and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add the chestnut mushrooms and the remaining crushed garlic (2 cloves) and cook until the vegetables are tender and the mushrooms have released their juices, about 3–4 minutes. Return the beef to the pan.

7. 7

   In a small bowl mix the remaining soy sauce (about 45 ml), the caster sugar and the remaining sesame oil. Add the drained noodles, chopped spinach and the soy-sesame mixture to the pan. Toss everything together over medium heat for 2–3 minutes so the sauce coats the noodles and the dish is heated through.

8. 8

   Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt if needed. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the toasted sesame seeds and sliced spring onions over the top and serve immediately.

Tips

• Cut the beef very thinly against the grain and marinate for the full 20 minutes so it stays tender when stir-fried.
• Don’t overcook the sweet potato glass noodles; they should be slightly firm when drained — they finish cooking when tossed with the sauce.
• Squeeze out as much water as possible from the blanched spinach to avoid a watery dish.
• If making ahead, cool completely, refrigerate for up to 24 hours and refresh briefly in a hot pan with a splash of vegetable oil before serving.
• Use scissors to snip long glass noodles after cooking — far easier than wrestling with long strands.

Substitutions

• beef sirloin → chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced (same quantity)

  Stays close

• soy sauce → tamari (same quantity) for a gluten-free option

  Stays close

• beef sirloin → firm tofu, pressed and pan-fried (replace 300 g beef with 300 g tofu)

  Noticeably different

• sweet potato glass noodles → mung bean vermicelli (same quantity) if you can’t find dangmyeon

  Noticeably different

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

580

Calories

24 g

Protein

57 g

Carbs

26 g

Fat

3 g

Fibre

8 g

Sugar

900 mg

Sodium

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