Japchae

Ingredients

• 7 ozGlass noodlesDangmyeon made from sweet potato starch, cut shorter with scissors after cooking
• 7 ozBeefcut into fine strips and marinated
• 5¼ ozSpinachblanched or briefly wilted, squeezed dry
• 1Carrotcut into matchsticks
• 1Onioncut into thin half rings
• 1Bell peppercut into thin strips
• 2Spring onioncut into bite-size pieces
• 2¾ ozShiitake mushroomsfresh or dried and soaked, sliced
• 3½ ozButton mushroomsthinly sliced
• 2Eggfried into a thin omelette and cut into strips
• 2 clovesGarlicfinely chopped or pressed
• 4 tbspSoy saucefor the marinade and for seasoning
• 3 tbspSesame oilfor marinade, seasoning and tossing
• 2 tbspSugarfor marinade and sauce
• 1 tbspSesame seedstoasted, for sprinkling
• 3 tbspVegetable oilfor frying
• Black pepperground, to taste
• Saltto taste, also for spinach and egg
• 2 tspGochugarubloomed in oil for a spicy version (optional)
• 7 ozTofuin strips, as a meat-free protein (optional)

Method

1. Soak dried shiitake in warm water until soft, squeeze them out well, trim off the tough stems and slice; if you're using fresh mushrooms, simply slice them.
2. Cut the beef into fine strips and marinate with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and black pepper, then keep it in the fridge until you need it.
3. Beat the eggs with a little salt, fry them over gentle heat into a thin omelette, roll it up and cut it into fine ribbons.
4. Blanch or briefly wilt the spinach, refresh it in cold water, squeeze it out firmly and season with a little soy sauce and sesame oil.
5. Cook or soak the glass noodles according to the package instructions, drain, rinse under cold water and shorten them to manageable lengths with scissors.
6. Cut the onion, carrot, bell pepper and spring onion into fine strips or bite-size pieces and fry them in neutral oil with a pinch of salt until soft but still with some bite, then lift them out.
7. In the same pot or pan, fry the marinated beef together with the shiitake and button mushrooms over high heat until the meat is just cooked through.
8. Combine the noodles, vegetables, spinach, beef with mushrooms and egg ribbons in a large bowl with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and pepper, then taste and adjust.
9. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm or lukewarm.

Tips and variations

Without meat, japchae goes vegetarian or vegan with fried tofu or just vegetables, and pork works just as well as beef. If you like heat, bloom gochugaru in oil and add squid and prawns, with red chilli rings on top for extra kick; honey can stand in for the sugar, and enoki mushrooms bring more mushroom flavour. Instead of only boiling the noodles, you can fry them in the pan with some of the sauce, or let them sit in the pot with the reserved marinade until they've soaked it up. If you want everything really distinct, fry each vegetable separately. Serve it warm, lukewarm or cold — cold, japchae is ideal for meal prep or a bento.