I want to go to Korea again... but the travel restrictions... I wish I could go get some new tools and gadgets soon Speaking of Korea... I've done bulgogi (BBQ beef) and kimchi pork... but what about japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) Oh! Hello there! I didn't see you there I was just thinking to myself... why don't we try making some japchae? We had a lot of requests as well Japchae... I think for most of you, what comes to mind is a sauteed dish with beef, veggies and noodles But for authentic japchae, the ingredients are actually TOSSED together It's SO tasty It's great in lunches too Let's make japchae today Take a look here A FIRST in the Koh Kentetsu kitchen we're using BEEF!!! I can't stop shaking In the Koh Kentetsu Kitchen we usually use very affordable ingredients so we stayed away from beef And pork is totally ok for this dish too! But there's just something about the flavour of beef A cheaper cut of meat is fine Just some regular, bean-thread noodles here (60g) Add some water and heat it in the microwave Read the package, and microwave it for about the same time it tells you to boil Give it a taste and see if it's cooked through if it's still hard, heat it longer So easy Wait a second! I forgot the plastic wrap cover it lightly just drape it over Peel the carrot and slice it on an angle take a few slices and stack them then julienne For the shitake mushrooms cut off the ends and separate the stem thin slices The stem itself is very flavourful so use that too Komatsuna spinach Trim off the end and wash it and I'm back a rough chop for these the leaves too a rough chop Sesame oil or use an oil that you like Add the carrots and then, a TIP of the day! we're using one pan to cook everything so start with the lighter flavoured ingredients first The reason being... beef will be seasoned with soy sauce if we cooked that first, we'd have to wash the pan We want to avoid extra washing so that's why we start with the veggies that will be seasoned with salt The carrots are soft now so we'll add the shitake mushrooms The shitake will also be seasoned with salt so these can be cooked with the carrots but carrots take longer to cook so add the shitake after for the different cooking times So we're essentially making a namul (seasoned vegetable dish) with carrots and shitake A carrot and shitake namul The natural sweetness has come out and it's tender Carrots first have a bitterness but with the heat, the sweetness comes out And salt lightly salt to season hot, hot, HOT The noodles be careful when you're taking off the plastic wrap See, look! LOOK Look inside the bowl It's all cooked Drain the water and lightly rinse with water Squeeze out any excess water Put it back in the bowl Make sure to really squeeze out all the water Another TIP This one's important, too Season the noodles with salt and sesame oil Mix it through Hey two-toned chopsticks I should get some new cooking chopsticks too Seasoning the noodles beforehand with salt and sesame oil brings it together when it's mixed with the veggies and meat If you leave the noodles plain... it'll feel a little bland like something's missing in the final product Then we add this the lightly salted namul... The carrots and shitake should be on one side, like this you'll see why, later Keep them on the side A little bit more sesame oil Next, we saute the komatsuna spinach *make a komatsuna namul* Why do we use komatsuna? Well, it's got a nice fresh crunch and my kids like it For some reason, they'll eat komatsuna so I use it in soups too This will add nice colour to the dish Once they're soft, add some soy sauce (1 tsp) finish with soy sauce and then... this too gets placed on the side or rim If you start with the soy sauce you'd have to rinse the pan in between And now the beef Beef makes it a meal, a nice substantial meal break up the pieces The meat has changed in colour don't over cook it add the grated garlic (1/2 a clove) If you're packing this for a lunch, skip the garlic and then some grated ginger (1/2 a knob) sugar (1 tbsp) for sweetness and richness sake (cooking wine) (1 tbsp) soy sauce (1.5 tbsp) This is a sweet, soy sauce-based dish Once some of the liquid has evaporated Another TIP Earlier, I said that japchae is tossed When sauteing, start with the lighter flavoured ingredients first When you're tossing start with the stronger-flavoured ingredients BECAUSE we want the delicious beef flavour and this sauce to go into the noodles The noodles will soak up the flavours Mix it well until the noodles take on some colour Once combined toss with the other ingredients Toss to combine This sequence or order is important to enhance each ingredient And finally, finish with some sesame seeds (1 tbsp) Ohhhh this is going to be amazing This is how authentic korean japchae is made The union of noodles, veggies and meat Top it with some dried chili threads this is optional Authentic home-made japchae! nice and colourful too Itadakima-su (bon appetit Tossed japchae is just gorgeous You can tell the noodles have absorbed all the juices and flavour In Korea, you're not suppose to hold up your plate like this Different countries have different table manners Oh man... It's amazing! The harmony of different textures from the noodles and veggies and the umami flavour from the beef the noodles have soaked up all the flavours and this dish brings it all together You get a good serving of veggies You can skip the garlic, if you want or pack in a lunch Please try it Our "Home-made Korean Dishes" series have been very popular Since it's getting warmer now I'm thinking of doing some spicy dishes soon Something with a kick Maybe some dak kalbi... or yangnyeom chicken... A lot of possibilites But something that'll make you sweat I'll think of something... Thank you for watching! Be sure to give us a thumbs up and hit the subscribe button Bye!
