Korean noodles: Japchae

Japchae is a healthy and light Korean dish with noodles made from potato starch. they have a smooth & springy texture and a unique taste. I tried them simply because they look like a lot of fun, and they were!

Serves 2

around 100 gms dangmyeon (korean potato starch noodles)

1 carrot, julienned

1 onion, sliced

5 re hydrated dried shitake mushrooms

two generous handfuls of spinach, leaves separated & blanched lightly

some spring onions( I did not have any)

a few drops of oil (preferably sesame)

1 to 2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp of soy sauce ( or to taste)

Gochujang: Korean hot pepper paste(optional)

toasted sesame seeds for garnish

The veggies in the picture are for a single serving only

Boil the noodles in plenty of water around 5 to 6 minutes (after the water starts boiling) or according to the packet instructions. Wash with cold water, snip into manageable lengths and toss with a splash of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil to keep them from sticking

Then, prepare the veggies by lightly cooking them individually with a few drops of oil and some soy sauce each, without browning them. While this ensures that all the vegetables are cooked perfectly, next time I'm going to try to cook them in one go, and see if it really makes a difference. Finally, fry the garlic & add the noodles with a bit of gochujang(if using) and all the vegetables and mix well

None of the recipes actually called for gochujang but since I had purchased a bottle with the noodles, I just wanted to use it. You could add a pinch of sugar though, if you are not using gochujang, which is sweet and spicy(not very spicy though, by Indian standards!)

The noodles need to be cooked for only a minute or so to warm them and mix them thoroughly with everything else. Sprinkle sesame seeds ( I like lots of it!)