Japchae is a popular Korean stir-fry composed of colorful vegetables and glass noodles, with a sweet and savory note. The chewy noodles used in this dish are made from sweet potato starch and water. They can be found at international food markets or online, but if your search isn’t fruitful at all, you can always use the same amount of regular glass noodles. —CS
SERVES 3 TO 4
3 tbsp (45 ml) brine from Smoky Apple (or Pear) Pickles
3 tbsp (45 ml) shoyu or tamari
2½ tsp (17 g) Gochujang Paste, plus more for serving
8 dried shiitake mushrooms, covered with room-temperature filtered water and rehydrated for at least 1 hour
4 tsp (20 ml) toasted sesame oil, divided, plus more for serving
2 medium carrots, trimmed and peeled, cut into matchsticks
4 oz (113 g) fresh cremini mushrooms, stems removed, gently brushed clean and minced or sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 packed tsp (10 g) minced fresh ginger
1 heaping cup (100 g) chopped red or green cabbage or baby bok choy
7 oz (198 g) dry Korean vermicelli glass noodles (Dang Myun), cooked according to package directions
7 oz (198 g) fresh spinach
Thinly sliced scallion, for serving
Toasted sesame seeds, for serving
In a small bowl, place the brine, shoyu and gochujang. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
When the shiitake have soaked for at least 1 hour, gently rinse them clean of any grit, squeeze them lightly, remove the stems and cut them into thin strips. Set aside. (You can keep the soaking liquid if desired: simply filter it in a fine-mesh sieve lined with a piece of clean paper towel in order to remove grit. Use it as cooking broth or to deglaze vegetables.)
In a large pan or a wok, place 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of the sesame oil, carrots, cremini mushrooms, garlic and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots start to become tender, about 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook until it just starts to become tender yet remains crisp, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
As soon as the noodles are cooked, strain the cooking liquid, rinse the pasta and toss it with the remaining 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame oil. Sauté with the shiitake strips over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add the spinach, cook for another 2 minutes and stir occasionally. Add half of the shoyu mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the veggies and the rest of the shoyu mixture. Toss well, cook for another minute and serve with an extra drizzle of sesame oil, extra gochujang, scallions and sesame seeds.
*SEE PHOTO INSERT