Chewy Mushroom Japchae (Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)
A 10-serving japchae made chewy and rich by using plenty of shiitake and wood ear mushrooms instead of meat.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This japchae uses plenty of shiitake and wood ear mushrooms instead of meat to deliver rich umami and a satisfyingly chewy texture. By slightly underboiling the sweet potato glass noodles, rinsing them in cold water, and stir-frying them with the sauce, the noodles stay bouncy and do not get soggy all the way to the last bite. It is wonderful served generously for dinner guests or as a main dish for family meals.
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Sweet potato glass noodles (dangmyeon)500 g
- Dried shiitake mushrooms40 g
- Dried wood ear mushrooms20 g
- Onion1 (large)
- Bell pepper3
- Carrot1
Noodle seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))5 tbsp
- Oyster sauce2 tbsp
- Sugar2 tbsp
Japchae seasoning
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil4 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds4 tbsp
- Ground black pepperas needed
- Instead of bell pepper, you can also use garlic chives or spinach.
- Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms lightly under running water, pour water over them, and let them soak for about 30 minutes. Soak the dried wood ear mushrooms in water for 30 minutes as well.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
We are going to use two kinds of mushrooms in this japchae instead of meat.
Bell peppers and carrots are for color. Onions take charge of the white tone and add sweet, fragrant flavor, so it is great to add plenty of them to japchae.
Instead of bell pepper, you can also use garlic chives or spinach.
Slice the vegetables
Slice the carrot thinly and julienne it finely.
Remove the core from the bell pepper and julienne it finely, then julienne the onion to a similar thickness.
Soak dried shiitake and dried wood ear mushrooms
Rinse the dried shiitake mushrooms lightly under running water, pour water over them, and soak them for about 30 minutes.
Dried wood ear mushrooms need to be soaked so that any debris stuck to them comes loose, so soak these in water for 30 minutes as well.
If you want to rehydrate them quickly, soak them in warm water. They will expand to more than 3 times their volume, so pour in plenty of water to let them soften gently.
Once the shiitake mushrooms are tender and plump, lift them out; do not discard the soaking water, and save it to use as broth.
For the wood ear mushrooms, simply wash them while rubbing gently so that any foreign matter on the surface comes off.
Trim the mushrooms
Squeeze them firmly by hand so no excess moisture remains, and slice any that seem too thick or large into suitable pieces.
The soaked wood ear mushrooms definitely need trimming. First cut away the dirty stem bases using kitchen shears or a knife.
If you cut them too small, it looks messy, so slice them into thick strips.
Boil the sweet potato glass noodles
Add the sweet potato glass noodles to vigorously boiling water and boil them, stirring occasionally.
Cooking times are printed on each package, and it is usually around 6 to 7 minutes.
Underboil them by about 1 minute so they are not completely cooked through, then rinse them in cold water to cool them down and drain the moisture thoroughly.
Stir-fry the ingredients
Stir-frying ingredients with similar textures or colors together speeds up the cooking time.
First, add the onion and bell pepper together with about 1/3 tsp of salt for a light seasoning, and stir-fry so they do not wilt too much.
Spread them out to cool so they do not continue cooking in the residual heat.
Drizzle some oil, add the hard carrots first, and stir-fry until halfway cooked through, then add the shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry together.
Once the carrots and shiitake mushrooms are somewhat tender, finish by adding the wood ear mushrooms and 1/2 tsp of salt to season, then stir-fry until everything wilts slightly.
Wood ear mushrooms are thin and sensitive to heat, so you do not need to stir-fry them for long.
Spread them on a plate to let the heat escape. It is delicious even eating just this right now.
Stir-fry the noodles
In a pan, add 3 to 4 tbsp of cooking oil, 5 tbsp of regular soy sauce, 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, and 2 tbsp of sugar, and once it comes to a bubbly boil...
Add the sweet potato glass noodles and stir-fry, untangling any clumps as you go.
Once the noodles take on an even soy sauce color, turn off the heat.
Put the noodles and all the stir-fried ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, taste, adjust the seasoning with 2 tbsp of regular soy sauce or tuna extract sauce, and finish with toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds, and ground black pepper.
Adding black pepper to japchae cuts through any heaviness and makes it taste even better.
Finish
Just like gimbap, japchae is delicious no matter what ingredients you put in.
The combination of chewy noodles and diverse ingredients gives it a flavor and presentation that makes it indispensable on a special table.
Make a generous batch of mushroom japchae that is full of both nutrition and flavor, and enjoy it with your whole family.
A continuous stretch of overcast days...
It is not easy to see the autumn sky, the prettiest of all during 1 year, this year.
I hope you still have a wonderful, fun Friday at heart.
Ppunwife's tips
- If you want to rehydrate them quickly, soak them in warm water. They will expand to more than 3 times their volume, so pour in plenty of water to let them soften gently.
- Once the shiitake mushrooms are tender and plump, lift them out; do not discard the soaking water, and save it to use as broth.
- Underboil them by about 1 minute so they are not completely cooked through, then rinse them in cold water to cool them down and drain the moisture thoroughly.
- Stir-frying ingredients with similar textures or colors together speeds up the cooking time.
- Wood ear mushrooms are thin and sensitive to heat, so you do not need to stir-fry them for long.
- Adding black pepper to japchae cuts through any heaviness and makes it taste even better.
FAQ
Is there a secret to keeping the noodles from getting soggy?
Boil the sweet potato glass noodles for about 1 minute less than the package instructions indicate, then rinse them quickly in cold water to chill and drain them thoroughly so they stay chewy without swelling.
Are there any vegetables I can use instead of bell pepper?
For color and flavor, you can freely substitute garlic chives or spinach instead of bell pepper.
Is there a way to rehydrate dried mushrooms faster?
When you are short on time, you can cut down the soaking time by pouring plenty of warm water over them instead of cold water.
Do I just throw away the shiitake mushroom soaking water?
Do not throw away the water used to soak the shiitake mushrooms; it is very useful as a broth for soups and stews.
