Japchae: Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles with Beef

Japchae is a Korean dish of dangmyeon, chewy noodles made from sweet potato starch, stir-fried with vegetables and meat and seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil (Wikipedia). It began as a royal court dish and is now served at weddings, first birthdays and holidays. This recipe boils the noodles soft, cooks the beef, shiitake, spinach, carrot, onion and bell pepper apart, then tosses everything with a soy, sugar and sesame sauce.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes, including 15 minutes of marinating | Servings: 4

Difficulty: Easy | Calories: ~470 per serving

Was Japchae Always Made with Noodles?

No. The name is Sino-Korean: jap means “mixed” and chae means “vegetable” (Wikipedia). In the 17th century japchae was cooked without noodles and served as a royal food to very high-level officials, and its vegetables included cucumbers, radishes and mushrooms (Korea JoongAng Daily).

Food critic Hwang Kwang-hae points to a detailed recipe in the Eumsik dimibang, a cookbook from 1670 that he calls the first in East Asia written by a woman. His list of its japchae ingredients runs to 17 vegetables and mushrooms, among them cucumber, radish, shiitake, mung bean sprouts, bellflower root and spinach, plus pheasant. The book then tells the cook not to hunt for every item but to use whatever can be found (Seoul Metropolitan Government).

The dish is tied to one court official. Wikipedia, citing the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, says Yi Chung first made it for King Gwanghaegun’s palace banquet and was rewarded with a high-ranking post (Wikipedia). Hwang tells the story less kindly. In his account, Yi Chung became minister of revenue by sending dishes to the king, who reportedly would start a meal only once the food from Yi’s house had arrived. People whispered that he was the “japchae minister” (Seoul Metropolitan Government).

The noodles came much later. Hwang dates dangmyeon’s arrival from China to the 1910s: a Japanese-run dangmyeon factory opened in 1912 and a Korean one in Sariwon in 1919. The noodles first appear in a written recipe in Joseon musang sinsik yori jebeop, a cookbook published in 1924. He argues that the noodle japchae of the 1920s is what people now take for the traditional dish (Seoul Metropolitan Government). Korea JoongAng Daily also places the change in the early 20th century (Korea JoongAng Daily).

Which Noodles Do You Need for Japchae?

Korean dangmyeon, made from sweet potato starch. Wikipedia describes them as pale grey, semi-transparent, chewy and elastic, and notes they are also sold as glass noodles, cellophane noodles or sweet potato vermicelli (Wikipedia). Because those English names cover other starches too, check that the packet says sweet potato. Mung bean noodles are a different product with a different cooking time; if you use them, follow their packet rather than the times below.

Cook them soft. Hyosun Ro of Korean Bapsang doesn’t soak them first. She boils them for about 8 minutes until soft and elastic, warns that they should not be al dente, and notes that package instructions vary by brand. After a cold rinse she seasons them with some of the sauce and pan-fries them for a soft, bouncy texture (Korean Bapsang). Korea.net’s recipe also boils the noodles for 8 minutes, then cuts them into 20 cm lengths and stir-fries them for 2 minutes over medium heat (Korea.net).

Uncut, the strands are long enough to tangle into one rope in the bowl. Two or three snips with kitchen scissors, to about 15 cm (6 inches), make them easy to toss and to serve.

Why Cook Each Vegetable Separately?

Each one needs its own time in the pan. In the classic method every ingredient is stir-fried on its own before it meets the boiled, drained noodles (Wikipedia). Maangchi explains the reason in the notes to her video: “Stir frying each ingredient separately seems like a lot of labor, but each one requires a different cooking time and a bit of care, and keeping the color and freshness of each ingredient intact makes for a stunning final presentation” (Maangchi).

Colour is part of the dish. Korea.net describes japchae as combining green, red, yellow, white and black, the five colours Korean cooks call obangsaek. It advises frying every ingredient quickly over high heat for better taste and brighter colour (Korea.net). Here spinach gives the green, carrot and red pepper the red, onion the white and shiitake the black. In the Korea.net recipe, strips of fried egg yolk supply the yellow; this recipe leaves them out.

You don’t need a pan per vegetable. Hyosun Ro streamlines the method by cooking some ingredients together in one pan, and wants the vegetables slightly crunchy so they pair well with the soft noodles (Korean Bapsang). This recipe follows that idea: one pot of boiling water for the spinach and noodles, one skillet for everything else. She also calls the balance of soy sauce and sugar the real secret of the flavour, and says to scale the sauce up if you add more vegetables or meat (Korean Bapsang).

Ingredients for Japchae

For the Beef and Mushrooms:

6 ounces (170 g) beef sirloin or rib eye
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 3 ounces / 85 g)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced

For the Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Noodles and Vegetables:

8 ounces (225 g) Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon)
6 ounces (170 g) fresh spinach
1 medium carrot (about 3 ounces / 85 g)
1/2 medium onion
1/2 red bell pepper
3 scallions
1 1/2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, divided
Salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Marinate the Beef and Mix the Sauce

1Cut the beef across the grain into thin strips about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Remove the shiitake stems and slice the caps 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. In a bowl, mix the beef and mushrooms with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and one minced garlic clove, and leave them for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, stir the sauce ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, cut the carrot into matchsticks, thinly slice the onion and bell pepper, and cut the scallions into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces.

One hand steadying a white bowl while the other mixes thin strips of raw beef and sliced shiitake in a soy sauce and garlic marinade with steel chopsticks, beside a small bowl of soy and sesame sauce with a spoon and a cutting board of carrot matchsticks, white onion, red pepper strips, scallions and a knife — Step 1- Marinate the Beef and Mix the Sauce

Step 2: Blanch the Spinach and Boil the Noodles

2Fill a large pot with about 3 quarts (3 litres) of water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the spinach for 30 seconds, just until it wilts, then lift it out with tongs and rinse it under cold water. Squeeze it dry, cut it once or twice, toss it with a pinch of salt and set it aside. Boil the noodles in the same water for 6 to 8 minutes, until a strand is soft, clear all the way through and free of any white core. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain well. Cut them 2 or 3 times with kitchen scissors into roughly 6-inch (15 cm) lengths, put them in a large bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the sauce.

One hand lifting a bunch of cooked, semi-transparent glass noodles from a stainless steel mixing bowl while the other cuts through them with black-handled kitchen scissors, a ball of squeezed blanched spinach on a small white plate and a pot on the stove behind — Step 2- Blanch the Spinach and Boil the Noodles

Step 3: Stir-Fry the Vegetables

3Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Add the carrot with a pinch of salt and stir-fry for 1 minute. Slide it to one side of the pan, then cook the onion and bell pepper with another pinch of salt, keeping them moving for 1 to 2 minutes; the onion should turn translucent at the edges but keep some crunch. Stir in the scallions for 30 seconds, then spread all the vegetables on a large plate.

A hand holding the handle of a black non-stick skillet over a gas flame while the other stirs with a wooden spatula, carrot matchsticks pushed to one side and onion slices, red pepper strips and scallions cooking on the other, an empty white plate on the counter beside the stove — Step 3- Stir-Fry the Vegetables

Step 4: Cook the Beef, Mushrooms and Noodles

4Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the same skillet and turn the heat to high. Tip in the beef and mushrooms with any marinade left in the bowl and keep them moving for 2 to 3 minutes. Once no pink shows on the beef, move everything to the plate with the vegetables. Turn the heat down to medium, pour in the last 1/2 tablespoon of oil, add the sauced noodles and toss them in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes, until glossy, a little sticky and soft right through. Return them to the large bowl.

A hand gripping the black skillet over a blue gas flame while wooden chopsticks lift glossy light brown glass noodles from the pan, next to a white plate holding the cooked carrot, onion, red pepper, scallions, beef strips and shiitake — Step 4- Cook the Beef, Mushrooms and Noodles

Step 5: Toss and Serve

5Add the vegetables, beef, mushrooms and spinach to the noodles, pour over the rest of the sauce, and toss with tongs or gloved hands until every strand is evenly coloured. Taste a strand and add up to 1/2 teaspoon more soy sauce or sugar if it needs it. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve warm or at room temperature.

Two hands in clear food-prep gloves tossing glass noodles with beef strips, shiitake, spinach, carrot, onion and scallions sprinkled with sesame seeds in a stainless steel mixing bowl, beside a small bowl of sesame seeds with a spoon — Step 5- Toss and Serve

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make japchae ahead of time?

Yes. Japchae is eaten warm, at room temperature or cold, and keeps for a few days chilled. Wikipedia notes that it can be eaten freshly made or the day after, one reason it is popular at potlucks (Wikipedia). Health Canada’s storage chart puts leftover cooked meat, stews and vegetable dishes at 3 to 4 days, with the fridge at 4 °C (40 °F) or colder (Health Canada). Hyosun Ro of Korean Bapsang says leftovers reheat well in the microwave and the noodles turn soft and chewy again (Korean Bapsang).

Is japchae a side dish or a main course?

Both. It is commonly served as banchan, a side dish, but may also be eaten as a main dish. Served on a bed of rice, it is called japchae-bap (Wikipedia). The quantities here make 4 main-course servings with the beef and vegetables included; as one banchan among several, the same batch goes further.

Can you make japchae without meat?

Yes. Hyosun Ro’s advice for a meatless japchae is to leave out the meat and add a little more mushroom or other vegetables. She calls pan-fried tofu an excellent substitute for the meat (Korean Bapsang). Mushroom japchae, beoseot-japchae, is a named variety in its own right (Wikipedia). Marinate the extra shiitake or the tofu strips just as you would the beef.

Why are my japchae noodles hard or clumped?

Most often they were drained too early. Dangmyeon should be soft and elastic, and Hyosun Ro says plainly that they should not be al dente (Korean Bapsang). Taste one before you drain; if it has a firm white centre, give it another minute or two. Toss the noodles with sauce as soon as they are drained so the strands stay apart, and expect chilled leftovers to firm up until they are reheated.