Japchae with beef and vegetables
Japchae is a Korean sweet potato starch noodle dish with beef and vegetables. Cook the components separately, then combine with a soy-sesame dressing so the noodles stay springy and the vegetables retain distinct textures.
How to make it
Prepared 0 of 6 steps
Prepare the ingredients
Slice the beef into thin strips across the grain. Cut the carrot and sweet pepper into matchsticks and the onion into thin wedges. Remove the tough shiitake stems and slice the caps. Mince the garlic.
Marinate the meat
Mix the beef with 15 ml of soy sauce, 5 g of sugar and half of the garlic. Separately mix the remaining soy sauce, sugar and garlic with sesame oil and pepper to make a dressing for the cooked components.
Cook the noodles and spinach separately
Boil the noodles in plenty of water according to the packet, usually 6–8 minutes, until tender but springy. Drain and cut into manageable lengths with scissors. Separately blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, cool, squeeze dry and lightly salt.
Stir-fry the vegetables separately
Sauté the carrot for 3 minutes, then set aside. Cook the bell pepper and onion for 2-3 minutes each, shiitake mushrooms for 5-6 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated. Do not mix raw mushrooms with cooked vegetables.
Cook the beef
Quickly sauté the beef on remaining vegetable oil, spreading the strips freely. Bring to an internal temperature of 63 °C and keep warm for 3 minutes. Do not add the raw marinade to the dish.
Combine the japchae
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until nutty and transfer to a bowl. In a wide pan, toss the noodles with the dressing and heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef, vegetables and spinach and gently mix with tongs. Sprinkle with the sesame and serve warm before the noodles stick together.
Little hint
Dangmyeon are springy, transparent sweet potato starch noodles, not thin rice vermicelli. Cook the vegetables in separate batches so their juices do not turn stir-frying into stewing, preserving their different textures.
Frequently asked questions
What should I watch out for when cooking?
Dangmyeon are springy, transparent sweet potato starch noodles, not thin rice vermicelli. Cook the vegetables in separate batches so their juices do not turn stir-frying into stewing, preserving their different textures.
How should I prepare the ingredients?
Slice the beef into thin strips across the grain. Cut the carrot and sweet pepper into matchsticks and the onion into thin wedges. Remove the tough shiitake stems and slice the caps. Mince the garlic.
