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Japchae

Prep Time:

15 Minutes

Cook Time:

15 Minutes

Serves:

2 Servings

Level:

Beginner

About the Recipe

Originally reputed to be a "royal dish" invented for a Korean Emperor, Japchae is now the national noodle dish. If you haven't come across sweet potato noodles before (also referred to as "glass noodles"), the combination with the sesame and soy sauce turns them into a sweet, nutty delight.

Ingredients

120g / 5 oz rump steak

1 tsp garlic puree or 1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tsp soy sauce

some black pepper

1 medium onion

50g / 2 oz carrot

1/2 bell pepper

2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

2 spring onion

50g / 2 oz baby spinach

180g / 7 oz Korean sweet potato noodles


for the sauce:


2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp garlic pure or 1 clove of garlic, mince 

1 - 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil for stir frying


salt and pepper

toasted sesame seeds for topping (optional)

Preparation

slice the rump steak into thin strips. place the strips into a small bowl and season with black pepper, garlic puree and soy sauce. stir well and marinate for at least 15 minutes


meanwhile top and tail of onion and remove the skin, then thinly slice slice


stand the carrot upright and thinly slice, then julienne the slices into small matchsticks


cut off the top of the bell pepper and remove the seeds and any white flesh. slice into large matchsticks


remove the stalks from the shiitake mushrooms, then thinly slice


remove the ends of the spring onions, then slice diagonally


now, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. put your Korean sweetpotato noodles into the water. cook according to the instructions on the packet (this should be 8 - 10 minutes)


to make the sauce, put 2 tbsp of sugar, 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of sesame oil and 1 tsp of garlic puree in a small bowl. mix together well


when the noodles are ready, drain them through a sieve. while the noodles are still in the sieve, use a pair of scissors to cut the noodles a couple of times to reduce the length


next, put the drained noodles into a large bowl.  add the half of the sauce and mix well


put 1/2 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and get it nice and hot. add the bell pepper, onion and carrot. season with some salt and pepper. stir fry for 2 minutes


add the vegetables to the noodles in the bowl


next pour another 1 tsp of vegetable oil to the frying pan.  add and stir fry the spinach for 1 minute.  add and stir fry the spring onions for 30 seconds


add to the noodles


next, add the strips of rump steaks to the same frying pan. fry until the strips are lightly browned


add to the noodles


pour over the rest of sauce and mix everything together well


lastly sprinkle over some white sesame seeds and serve

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