According to history, the original version of Japchae had no noodles. It was a variant of only stir-fried vegetables such as cucumbers, radish, onions, and mushrooms. This gave origin to the word Japchae, which in Korean means “mixed vegetables". In the early 17th century when the Joseon Dynasty reigned supreme over the Korean peninsula, a chef named Yi Chung prepared the dish for King Gwanghaegun. The king was so impressed with the dish that he elevated Chef Yi Chung to a high-ranking position. From then, Japchae became royal court cuisine. It was considered a luxurious and elegant dish served only to the royal family and high-level officials. With the passing of time, this royal dish became part of the commoners’ cuisine. In the 20th century, the original recipe underwent a change after the Chinese introduced cellophane noodles (dangmyeon, ), produced from sweet potato starch. More items are now available with this new transformation, including beef, seafood, herbs, and pepper. Thus, a new version of Japchae was created. The current and most popular version is sweet and savory, prepared with stir-fried assorted vegetables, beef, mushroom, and dangmyeon noodles seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil. 

HOW DO YOU WANT TO MAKE JAPCHAE? 

INGREDIENTS

• Marinate the beef and mushrooms - 

(1) Put the beef and shiitake mushrooms into a bowl and mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil with a wooden spoon or by hand - 

(2) Cover and keep it in the fridge. 

• Make the egg garnish (jidan) - 

(1) Crack the egg and separate the egg yolk from the egg white - 

(2) Remove the white stringy stuff (chalaza) from the yolk - 

(3) Beat in a pinch of salt with a fork -

(4)  Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil to a heated nonstick pan - 

(5) Swirl the oil around so it covers the pan, and then wipe off the excess heated oil with a kitchen towel so only a thin layer remains on the pan 

(6) To keep the jidan as yellow as possible, turn off the heat and pour the egg yolk mixture into the pan - 

(7) Tilt it around so the mixture spreads thinly - 

(8) Let it cook using the remaining heat in the pan for about 1 minute - 

(9) Flip it over and let it sit on the pan for 1 more minute - 

(10) Let it cool and slice it into thin strips.

• Prepare the noodles and vegetables - 

(1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then take it out and let the water keep boiling to cook the noodles - 

(2) Rinse the spinach in cold water to stop it from cooking. Cut it a few times and put it into a bowl. Mix with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil -

(3) Put the noodles into the boiling water, cover and cook for 1 minute. Stir with a wooden spoon so they don’t stick together. Cover and keep cooking for another 7 minutes until the noodles are soft and chewy -

(4) Strain and cut them a few times with kitchen scissors. Put the noodles into the large bowl next to the spinach. Add 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well by hand or a wooden spoon - 

(5) Heat up a skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil with the onion, the green onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry about 2 minutes until the onion looks a little translucent -

(6) Heat up the skillet again and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the white mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until softened and a little juicy -

(7) Heat up the skillet and add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add the carrot and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the red bell pepper strips and stir-fry another 20 seconds - 

(8) Heat up the skillet and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Add the beef and mushroom mixture and stir fry for a few minutes until the beef is no longer pink and the mushrooms are softened and shiny.

• Mix and serve -

 (1) Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil to the mixing bowl full of ingredients and mix all together - 

(2) Add the egg garnish and 1 tablespoon sesame seeds. Mix it and transfer it to a large plate and serve .