The Ultimate Japchae Recipe: Ready in 3 Minutes for Holiday Guests
Mastering Japchae: An Expert’s Golden Recipe for Delicious Results
Are you preparing for the upcoming holidays and looking for a special dish for your family? Or perhaps you want to enrich your dining table with a delicious side dish? Then this Japchae recipe is your perfect answer! By carefully following the ‘How to Make Delicious Japchae’ guide I’m sharing today, you’ll unlock the secret to making perfect Japchae that you can use for a lifetime, all in just 3 minutes of preparation time. Detailed measurements and cooking tips can be found in the comments!
Main Ingredients- 200g wide glass noodles (dangmyeon)
- 100g pork (for japchae)
- 1 onion
- 50g carrot
- 1 green onion
- 100g oyster mushrooms
- 50g chives
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the star of Japchae: the glass noodles. Use 200g of wide glass noodles and soak them in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. This will ensure they have a chewy and delicious texture.
Step 2
Now, let’s prepare the colorful and flavorful vegetables! Slice 1 onion into 0.5cm thick pieces. This adds a subtle sweetness and a crisp texture. Cut 1 green onion diagonally, using the white part. Its fragrance enhances the overall flavor and helps eliminate any unwanted odors. Thinly julienne 50g of carrot into about 0.3cm thick strips. The vibrant color makes the dish visually appealing and adds a mild sweetness.
Step 3
Cut 50g of fragrant chives into lengths of about 3-4cm. It’s best to trim off about 3cm from the tough root end to ensure a tender texture.
Step 4
Rinse 100g of oyster mushrooms quickly under running water and trim off the tough base. If the mushrooms are large, tear them into bite-sized pieces by hand. After preparing all the mushrooms, squeeze out as much water as possible. This step prevents the pan from becoming watery when stir-frying.
Step 5
Let’s start stir-frying the vegetables! Heat a pan over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Add the julienned carrots first and stir-fry them. Once the carrots become vibrant and slightly tender, add the sliced onions. Continue to stir-fry until the onions become translucent. Then, add 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp cooking wine, 1/3 Tbsp salt, and a pinch of black pepper to season the vegetables.
Step 6
When the onions turn transparent, add the green onions and stir-fry briefly to release their aroma. Overcooking can make them mushy. Finally, add the chives and stir-fry for just 10 seconds. The residual heat will finish cooking the green onions and chives, so just wilt them slightly.
Step 7
Now it’s time to stir-fry the meat for added umami. Marinate 100g of pork (oyster blade cut is recommended for Japchae) with 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp cooking wine, 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic, a pinch of pepper, and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Stir-fry the marinated meat in a preheated pan, breaking it up with chopsticks until it’s fully cooked.
Step 8
Once the meat has changed color and is juicy, add the prepared oyster mushrooms and stir-fry them together. Cooking the mushrooms in the meat juices will infuse them with a richer flavor. Stir-fry until the mushrooms have absorbed the juices well. Then, combine them with the previously stir-fried vegetables and let them cool slightly. This concludes the stir-frying process! You’re almost done with this super easy Japchae recipe, made with minimal ingredients and time.
Step 9
Here’s a special tip to prevent your Japchae from becoming soggy! Add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil to boiling water. This coats the glass noodles with oil, preventing them from sticking together or becoming mushy, and maintaining their chewy texture for a long time. Boil the soaked glass noodles in the boiling water for about 3 minutes. If you’re unsure if they’re cooked, take out a noodle and test its texture. Perfectly boiled noodles should be chewy yet tender. This is the secret to keeping your Japchae from getting soggy.
Step 10
Once the noodles are perfectly cooked, drain them in a colander and immediately place them over the stir-fried ingredients. Drizzle generously with 3 Tbsp of sesame oil; this prevents the noodles from clumping and gives the Japchae a glossy finish. Finally, add 5 Tbsp soy sauce, 4 Tbsp corn syrup, 2/3 tsp caramel coloring (for a richer color; this is optional), and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Now, mix everything together until well combined, and your holiday-essential Japchae is ready! Taste and adjust the saltiness and sweetness to your preference. This delicious Japchae can be enjoyed over rice as ‘Japchae-bap,’ or served as a satisfying side dish for your family during the holidays.
