Making Japchae (잡채), Once a Royal Dish.

This is my favorite Korean dish. I had no idea it was once a royal dish! Though I can see why… It took me two hours to make it! I imagine it gets faster as you become more familiar with it. It requires a lot of chopping!

Japchae originated as a stir-fried vegetable and mushroom dish in the early 17th century, according to the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. Yi Chung (1568‒1619) created the dish for a King Gwanghaegun palace banquet. The king’s fondness for the dish led to Yi’s promotion to a high-ranking position, comparable to Secretary of the Treasury, and established Japchae as a staple of Korean royal court cuisine.

This early version of japchae, made without noodles or meat, was considered a luxurious dish for the royal family and high officials. Ingredients included vegetables like cucumbers, radishes, and shiitake mushrooms.

The word 잡채 (japchae) is a sino-Korean word, meaning it originates from Classic Chinese. It is made of jap (잡; 雜) meaning “mixed” and chae (채; 菜) meaning “vegetable.”

While japchae, like many royal dishes, was eventually adopted and enjoyed by commoners, its widespread popularity didn’t occur until the 20th century. The introduction of cellophane noodles, made from sweet potato starch and originating from China, revolutionized the dish. These noodles became a key ingredient, and in my opinion, it is the best part of japchae.

The noodles are known as Dangmyeon in Korea and by “glass noodles”, “cellophane noodles”, or “sweet potato vermicelli” in English.

Ingredients & Directions

I followed THIS recipe, but because it is a complex recipe that has various parts, I found that having to go back and fourth between the ingredients and the different directions was a workout! SO I decided to write this version as one prepares it, that way you don’t have to go back and forth! So…

Shopping list:

1 bag of Dangmyeon (glass noodles)

1/2 to a 1 lb of beef. Short rib sliced is what the recipe calls for.

1 bottle of all purpose or light soy sauce

sesame oil

1 head of garlic

Salt and pepper

2 tsp white sugar

This recipe has three groups of ingredients, Group 1 is for a marinade for the meat. Group 2 is the preparation of the noodles and Group 3 is for the vegetable Stir Fry.

Group 1: The Beef (or Pork)

Part 1: Marinade the beef. This is the first thing you should do for this recipe, you can even do it the day before and let it marinade in your fridge for deeper flavor. You’ll need:

-A medium bowl

-Beef cut into small sliced pieces. I bought a package that came ready to go… it was “wagyu top blade slices.” It was divine! The recipe calls for short rib sliced.

1. Place these in the bowl:

-2 tsp soy sauce (all purpose or light)

-2 tsp finrly minced garlic

-1/2 tsp black pepper

2. Stir and add the meat making sure to stir it all. Place aside.

Group 2: Japchae Noodles

Ingredients Noodles

-Big bowl

-Dangmyeon (glass noodles). I used 1/2 of the bag… this amount serves four.

-1/2 tbp Soy sauce (use an all purpose one or light)

-2 tsp white sugar

-1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions Noodles

1. Boil water in a big pot, the glass noodles cook for about 8 minutes. I did not add salt or oil…

2. As the noodles boil put all the previous ingredients into the big bowl. Here they are again:

-1/2 tbp Soy sauce (use an all purpose one or light)

-2 tsp white sugar

-1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

-1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3. Use a colander to remove water from the noodles… Place them into the bowl with the marinade. The recipe says do not stir… I stirred very carefully it as I did not want them to stick to each other. The color is absolutely gorgeous… it is angel hair… silvery before the marinade and golden after… so beautiful! COVER the bowl.

Aren’t they beautiful! Almost magical?

Group 3: Vegetables

Ingredients Veggies:

1/2 onion peeled and sliced into 1/4” wedges

3 green onions stems cut into 2″ stalks

200g /7 Oz of shiitake mushrooms cut into 5 mm/1/5 ” slices

1 small container of wood ear mushrooms. These are absolutely fascinating! Their texture is just like velvet and some do look like ears! To prepare these, cut off hard parts and place in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Then wash them well and cut into size of your taste. I love their texture!

1 carrot peeled cut into inch long sticks (3cms)

1 red pepper cut into inch long sticks (3cms)

3 cups of spinach (tightly packed)

2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Now onto the cooking! All this chopping and then cooking took a “while”…

Batch 1: Onion – Shiitake express

Oil in pan and stir fry the onions with the mushrooms, until onions are translucent. I did mine separate. When done place on top of noodles … do NOT mix. Put lid back on to keep it warm.

Batch 2: Carrot- Red Pepper

Oil in pan and stir fry. When done place on top of noodles … do NOT mix. Put lid back on to keep it warm.

Batch 3: Spinach

Oil in pan and cook … but don’t let it wither all the way… keep it slightly green fresh… so good! (In the recipe these can be cooked with carrots and peppers). When done place on top of noodles … do NOT mix. Put lid back on to keep it warm.

Batch 4: Ginger

Oil in pan and stir fry it… until slightly golden. When done place on top of noodles … do NOT mix. Put lid back on to keep it warm.

Rinse wood ear…add to noodles. Do NOT mix. Put lid back on to keep it warm.

And now…

Part 2 of the beef (or pork): Stir fry the meat… do not over cook!

When done place on top of noodles and… YES mix!!! This is not easy to do… feel free to use your hands as necessary. Be gentle, you want everything to keep its shape…