Japchae (잡채)

A friend of mine posted a link to this recipe recently, and it sounded simple and tasty so I decided to give it a try.  I'll make a few more minor modifications the next time I make it, but it was simple and tasty so it accomplished the goal for today!

Japchae (잡채)

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces dangmyeon (clear sweet potato noodles)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine
• 5 ounces beef, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 small bag shredded carrots
• 4 ounces fresh pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces spinach, cut into 1” lengths
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Soak the dangmyeon in hot tap water until it’s fully rehydrated (20-30 minutes).
2. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine in a bowl to combine, then take 2 tablespoons of this sauce and add it to the beef, letting it marinate while the noodles rehydrate and you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Add 1/4 cup of water to the remaining sauce.
3. When the noodles are rehydrated, drain them, and then use scissors to cut the noodles into 6” lengths.
4. In a large frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the marinated beef and stir-fry until the meat is fully cooked, and then transfer the beef to a bowl.
5. Add another tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan, and then add the onions and carrots. Stir-fry until the carrots are almost cooked, then add the pyogo. Continue stir-frying until the carrots are fully cooked.
6. Add the dangmyeon and spinach, and then pour the sauce over everything. Stir-fry until the noodles are tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Return the beef to the pan, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and then toss everything together. Serve immediately.

Notes:
The original recipe called for bell peppers as well, but neither of us particularly likes them so I removed them and added more carrots.  I'll add more beef next time and probably increase the amount of sauce as well.  Overall though, while we were talking about how it was semi-bland, we both ended up eating a second serving. :)