Chewy Japchae Made with Ingredients at Home
Chewy Japchae Made with Ingredients at Home
Pantry Raid! Simple Japchae Recipe
I made my favorite Japchae using only the ingredients I had at home. Forget thinking of it as a dish only for holidays or special occasions! Here’s a simple Japchae recipe you can enjoy anytime.
Main Ingredients- 150g Glass noodles (Dangmyeon)
- 1/2 Onion
- 1/3 Carrot
- 1/4 bunch Chives
- 2 sheets Fish cakes (Odeng)
- 1/4 can Spam or luncheon meat (approx. 50g)
Seasoning & Others- 3 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1.5 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- Pinch of sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil for stir-frying
- 3 Tbsp Soy sauce
- 1.5 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Sesame oil
- Pinch of sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil for stir-frying
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare the vegetables. Slice the onion thinly. Julienne the carrot into similar thickness. Cut the chives into 5cm lengths. Julienne the fish cakes as well.
Step 2
Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and stir-fry until they become translucent. Avoid overcooking, as they can become mushy; cook just until they soften slightly.
Step 3
Add a little more vegetable oil to the same pan and stir-fry the julienned carrots. The key is to maintain a slight crunch in the carrots.
Step 4
Add the julienned fish cakes and stir-fry. Then, add the Spam or luncheon meat, cut into similar pieces, and stir-fry until lightly browned. If the meat is fatty, you can fry it separately.
Step 5
Finally, add the cut chives and stir-fry quickly over high heat. Chives wilt very fast, so be careful not to overcook them. Gather all the stir-fried ingredients into one bowl.
Step 6
Boil the glass noodles in water, cooking them for 1-2 minutes longer than the package instructions suggest. For a chewy texture, do not rinse the cooked noodles with cold water. Drain them in a colander and mix with the seasonings while they are still warm.
Step 7
In a large bowl, combine the cooked glass noodles with all the stir-fried vegetables, fish cakes, and meat. Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1.5 tablespoons of sugar. Gently mix everything together to ensure the seasoning is evenly distributed. Finish by drizzling 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and sprinkling some sesame seeds for a delicious Japchae!
