COOKING INA'S KOREAN INSPIRED NOODLES CALLED "JAPCHAE"

It's going to be Japchae all the way! I was fond of cooking Japchae lately and it became an instant "Most Promising Noodle of the Year" awardee in our family occasions. In my recent cooking for this delectable Korean inspired noodles, I have already made some subs for ingredients that are somewhat difficult to find in our local market. I am so excited to present to you 3 photos of Japchae cooked in 3 different variations. Take a closer look on the 3 photos and check out the ingredients and their subs for easy and quick preparation.

JAPCHAE 1- INSTEAD OF SPINACH LEAVES, I SUBSTITUTED  "KANGKONG" OR WATER SPINACH


Japchae 2 is actually more vegan as I have added fried tofu and instead of using Spinach as one of the original ingredients, I have substituted it with "Kamote Tops", it actually tasted and blended even better compared with 'Kangkong"

Japchae 3 is the most recent Japchae I ever cooked. It almost has all the major ingredients of Japchae but I added some more veggies for some colors and more flavors.

What am I trying to say here? You can actually explore, invent and rediscover your own recipe out of the basic one. Do not fret or be scared of cooking and inventing. Cooking is also a continuous learning. We all aim to cook good food, reasonable and inexpensive and most of all healthy and delicious!! 

I put an asterisk for the basic ingredients that you can always replace or substitute with whatever is readily available in your ref or pantry.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo-Korean Glass Noodles/ Sweet Potato Starch Noodles- available in the grocery stores and Korean/Asian Store (it normally packed by 1 kilo per bag)

500 grams Beef Strips (tenderloin) or *Chicken Strips (breast) (either of the 2)

1 bar or about 5 small square pieces cut into strips Fried Tofu (optional ingredient)

250 grams Shitake mushrooms/*Black Fungus/*Oyster mushrooms (there are dehydrated Shitake mushrooms which you can buy inexpensively compared to the fresh ones.

250 grams Carrots julienne sliced

250 grams Spinach - *Kangkong, *Kamote Tops, Cabbage

50 grams of black or white sesame

1/2 cup sliced white onions

3 tbs minced garlic

5 tbs of sesame oil (adjust base on your preference)

1/4 cup of light soy sauce (adjust base on your preference)

1/4 cup of dark thick soy sauce (adjust base on your preference)

Salt and pepper to taste

PROCEDURE:

In preparing noodle dishes, I always make my own easy step by step procedures. 

Step 1 - Cook the noodles according to package instruction and the brand. It normally cooked between 2-4 minutes in a boiling water. Check from time to time to avoid overcooking. Overcooked noodles is a disaster so be careful in preparing this. Once the noodles is cooked, pour in the sesame oil, light soy sauce and the black sesame. 

Step 1-Prepare the noodles

Step 2 - Season the beef strips/chicken strips with soy sauce and sesame oil and fry it over until cooked and tender. Set aside. Fry the tofu until cooked and combine with the meat. Combine all vegetables together except for the leaves in a big bowl and season with soy sauce and sesame oil.  Stir fry the vegetable over high heat and remove immediately so it will not be overcooked. Set aside. Blanch the leaves and pour in soy sauce and sesame oil. set aside.

Step 3 - Assemble and prepare to plate the noodles. In a big bowl, pour in the noodles on the first layer, then cover with the leaves and the vegetables. Top with the meat or the tofu or both. Sprinkle with sesame oil and sesame seed. 

Arrange a step by step procedure for an organize cooking

 Good cooking doesn't only mean it should taste good, smells good but also should look good. Plating is one important key in making your dish looks yummy and delectable.

I hope you have learned to cook Japchae in many different variation. If you have question /s about this recipe, please drop some comments below or send me an email. You can also post a comment on my page or send a private message. I would really love to hear from you! enjoy cooking!!!