I made this for lunch yesterday and often wonder why I seldom cook Jap chae . Now that I don't have to search far and wide to find dangmyeon or sweet potato noodles in our neck of the woods , all I need is time or the inclination to whip up this fantastic and colorful one-pot meal . This is even far easier to make than my fave gon chow ngau ho !
Jap chae is a Korean noodle dish made from sweet potato noodles called dangmyeon , stir-fried in sesame oil with various kinds of vegetables and sometimes with beef and seasoned with soy sauce and sugar . This dish is commonly served at Korean parties and special occasions , either hot or cold , as a side or some served this as a main dish .
I borrowed a Korean cookbook by Chung Jae Lee a month ago and saw his recipe on how to make the traditional way of making Jap chae , each ingredients is cooked separately then mixed together at the end . It's time consuming and too many dishes to wash after so it makes sense to stir fry everything especially if you're pressed for time or if you're a lazybones like me .
I used pork instead of beef but you can omit it if you want a meat-free dish . You can even go crazy by adding more veggies lol In this recipe , sesame oil is used for stir-frying the ingredients but I'm afraid the flavor of the sesame oil will be too much since you'll also use it for the sauce so I used my usual cooking oil instead . If you can find wood ear mushroom so much the better , it will add a nice layer of texture to this dish . Wood ear is pretty tasteless but when cooked it absorbs the flavor of the food and it has a wonderful crunchy texture .
Please check original recipe @ Fresh Tastes / Marc of No Recipes
200 grams dangmyeon / sweet potato noodles
120 grams pork ( jowl ) , thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic , minced
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon tapioca starch
a pinch of salt
a dash of ground white pepper
1 small onion , sliced
100 grams carrots , cut into matchsticks
3 dried shiitake mushrooms , soaked until soft then boil for 5 minutes , slice thinly
1 small yellow pepper , sliced
120 grams spinach , blanch briefly then squeeze off excess water , form into a ball then cut in half
salt , to taste
3 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/3 cup water
some toasted sesame seeds to garnish
* Combine pork , soy sauce , sesame oil . salt , pepper and starch , mix well , set aside .
* Mix together soy sauce , sugar , sesame oil and water , set aside .
* Boil water and cook noodles for 4-5 minutes , drain and rinse briefly , sprinkle few drops of sesame oil and set aside .
* Heat a wok or a large pan , over medium-high heat , add oil when oil is hot , add garlic and ginger , cook until fragrant . Add in the pork mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes , transfer to a plate . In the same pan , add in the onion , cook for 3 minutes then add in the carrots and mushrooms , stir-fry for another 2 minutes . Add in the noodles , pepper , spinach , pork and soy-sesame sauce , cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes , mixing well until noodles are heated through and the sauce is absorbed , give it a good stir , sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately .