Japchae Recipe 잡채

A couple of months ago my friend gave me her recipe for japchae - I don't think it's a secret - at least there's no secret ingredients in it. I love it so much and I think it is definitely better than what you can get at a restaurant. In Australia that is, I haven't tried it since coming to Korea because it's easier to make it at home than walk to the local 'Modern China' restaurant that sells it two alleys away.

Here it is. So yummy - give it a try. If you are making this in Australia, all the ingredients are available in Korean grocery stores. There is a pretty good one in Strathfield Plaza across from the checkouts at Woolworths, next to the chemist.

1. Boil the rice noodles, I just used charm vermicelli.


2. Rinse the noodles in cold water and let stand.

3. Thinly slice the vegetables. I use carrots, green capsicum and onion. Cook the vegetables with a little splash of sesame oil. Take out of fry pan. I don't cook my vegetables until they are soft because I like them hard.


4. Cook some beef strips - about 100-150 grams is enough. This is optional - it tastes good without meat if you are a vegetarian. Take the meat out of the frypan.


5. Put the noodles in the frypan with 7 spoons of soy sauce, 1 spoon of brown sugar, 1 spoon of 요리당 and 1 spoon of 미림. (I had to google it - 미림 is a cooking wine that takes away a fish smell and 요리당 is a cooking syrup). When I mix this I just taste test it and usually add a splash more of each of the three liquids.


6. Add the vegetables and beef strips and mix until hot.


7. Put on a plate and add sesame oil to taste - about 2 spoons.

This was enough for 3 meals.

NOTE: In the one I just cooked I used beef mince instead of strips of beefs and it was just as good. You can add sesame seeds at the end but I don't.