My Mom's Easy Vegetarian Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles).
The perfect noodle dish for your holiday table!
Ingredients
- 6 cups uncooked spinach
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 1/2 oz Plantspired Korean BBQ Steak (OR 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp brown rice syrup, and 1/2 tsp black pepper)
- 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup julienned yellow onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup julienned red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup julienned green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup julienned orange bell pepper
- 1/2 cup julienned yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 cup julienned carrot
- 7 oz Korean sweet potato vermicelli
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp brown rice syrup
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp cracked black pepper `
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook the spinach by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Drop the spinach in and let it cook for about 1 minute, until the leaves turn a bright and brilliant green. Drain and run the spinach under cold water, to stop it from cooking longer. Squeeze out the excess liquid and place the spinach in a very large bowl.
- Next, julienne everything: the Plantspired steak, onion, mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers. For the bell peppers and carrot, create very thin layers (you can use a mandolin) and then chop them into matchsticks.
- Begin by sautéing the Plantspired steak, onions and mushrooms over medium-high heat in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, until the onions grow translucent (around 3 to 5 minutes). If you're not using Plantspired steak, add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of syrup, and black pepper and continue sauteeing until the liquid evaporates (about 1 minute). Then, throw those in the same bowl with the spinach. Next, sauté the carrots in the same fashion--with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, until they begin to soften (about 4 to 5 minutes). Add to the same bowl with the spinach and mushrooms. Repeat for the red bell pepper, then the green bell pepper, then the orange bell pepper, and finally the yellow bell pepper. The order doesn't matter--so long as you cook each vegetable separately.
- To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add your glass noodles. My mom tells me that the best way to ensure perfectly chewy noodles is to cook the noodles for about 3 minutes and then add 1/2 cup of cold water. When the water comes back to a boil, add another 1/2 cup of cold water. Continue doing this until your noodles are cooked (around 7 minutes in total). Before draining the excess water, reserve about 1 cup. Then drain the water, run the noodles under cold water (so they don't get soggy), and place the noodles in the same pan as the stir-
- To the large bowl of vegetables, add soy sauce, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, sesame oil, and black pepper. Then, add about 1/4 cup of the reserved noodle liquid. Using your hand or a pair of tongs, stir the sauce into the noodles, mixing vigorously to help thicken the sauce. I like my vegetarian japchae to have a bit of a broth (not swimming in broth, just "broth-y") and if you do too, continue adding a bit more of that reserved noodle liquid at a time until you reach your desired consistency. The key is to stir it vigorously!
- Garnish your vegetarian japchae with toasted sesame seeds and a couple turns of cracked black pepper.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!