Korean sweet potato noodles (Japchae)

Photo: Omnivore's Cookbook

A one bowl noodle dinner with chewy glass noodles, charred beef, mushrooms, and spinach tossed in a sweet savory soy and sesame sauce.

From Maggie Zhu at Omnivore's Cookbook · @omnivorescookbook

It is a full meal of noodles, beef, and vegetables ready in 30 minutes.

You need

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 oz beef flank steak
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 6 oz dried sweet potato noodles
• 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (oyster, white, portobello, or shiitake)
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 5 green onions, chopped to 2" (4 cm) pieces
• 8 oz spinach, root removed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

How to make it

1. Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and black pepper together in a small bowl to make the sauce.
2. Cut the beef across the grain into thin slices, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick, and put in a medium bowl.
3. Work 1 1/2 tablespoons of the sauce into the beef by hand until absorbed, then mix in the cornstarch to coat. Set aside to marinate while you prep everything else.
4. Boil the sweet potato noodles per the package instructions until cooked through and tender. Drain, rinse under tap water to stop the cooking, and drain well again.
5. Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high until it shimmers. Lay the beef in with little overlap and leave it alone until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute, then flip and brown the other side, another minute or so. Move to a plate.
6. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan and cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned and the liquid they release has cooked off, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, stir, and move to a plate.
7. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil, then the carrot, yellow onion, and green onion. Stir to coat, sprinkle with salt, and cook until the vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
8. Add the last 1/2 tablespoon oil and the spinach to the pan. Cook and stir until it wilts, then add it to the bowl with the other vegetables.
9. Add the noodles and beef to the bowl, pour the remaining sauce over, and add the sesame seeds. Toss with tongs until the sauce is absorbed, and serve as a main dish.

Written in our own words from Maggie Zhu's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Korean sweet potato noodles (Japchae), Omnivore's Cookbook.

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