Japchae

Japchae is the perfect meal in my opinion. It has everything - a little meat, carbs, and veggies. It’s salty & sweet with a little sesame and mushrooms for umami. It’s beautiful to look at. Plus, because it takes a while to make (not because it’s complicated but because everything cooks at different times and individually), you’ll want to make a lot at once and eat it for the week or take it to a family or work gathering. See below to find out more about the history of japchae.

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Japchae

Makes 12 servings (about 1 cup)
Calories per serving: 225
Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 17.63 oz. Ottogi Korean Vermicelli

• 1.5 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 4 carrots, sliced thin

• 1 large onion, sliced thin

• 10 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms

• 1 small bunch spinach, washed thoroughly

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 eggs

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• Salt to taste

Marinade for protein (shrimp, beef, etc.)

• 1 Tbs. Soy sauce 

• 1/2 Tbs. sugar

• 2 tsp. sesame oil

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds

Mushroom marinade

• 1 tsp. soy sauce

• 1 tsp. sugar

Spinach marinade

• 1 tsp. sesame oil

• Salt to taste

Vermicelli sauce

• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 Tbs. sugar

• 2 tsp. sesame oil

• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. roasted sesame seeds

Method

1. In a large bowl, soak vermicelli in warm water for 30 mins. Weigh down with a plate if necessary. In a medium bowl, soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 mins. as well. 

2. While the vermicelli and mushrooms are soaking, make the marinade for the shrimp by combinIng all ingredients in a small bowl. Place shrimp in a medium bowl, toss with the marinade, and refrigerate.

3. Chop onions and carrots into thin slices, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt and set aside. 

4. Blanch spinach in boiling water for about 3 mins. Immediately place in cold water for 1 minute. Squeeze excess water, place in small bowl and toss with the spinach marinade.

5. Make the vermicelli by boiling 6 cups of water in a large pot. When boiling, add the pre-soaked vermicelli and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain. 

6. Make the vermicelli sauce by adding all ingredients to a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Toss with the prepared vermicelli.

7. In a large pan, heat 1.5 Tbs. olive oil and stir-fry the onions and carrots. Set aside.

8. Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Using the same pan as the one for the previous step, fry the egg into a large thin crepe. Take out of pan, roll it up, and slice thinly into long strips.

9. Stir fry seasoned shrimp in the same pan. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil on high heat and add garlic. Fry for 1-2 minutes then add mushrooms and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add shrimps and stir-fry until just translucent. 

10. Assemble everything in a large bowl by adding sauced vermicelli, onions & carrots, spinach, shrimps & mushrooms, and finally egg strips.

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History of Japchae

This popular Korean dish was originally made without noodles and only veggies in the early 17th century for the royal banquet of King Gwanghaegun. Eventually adopted into common cuisine with the addition of sweet potato starch noodles and beef, the colorful dish of japchae represents all five traditional colors of East Asian cosmology called “obangsaek:” yellow + blue (spinach), red (carrots), yellow + white (egg), and black (mushrooms). The five colors represent the importance of harmony between nature and mankind.