Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Japchae is meaningful to me because it's one of my favourite Korean foods, as well as one of my favourite dishes my mom has ever cooked. My mom would make this once in a while, but especially for special occasions like New Year's Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. She also used to cook it every time my first elementary school hosts the annual International Feast/Food Festival, so I have a lot of memories with my mom's japchae.
• 250g of glass noodles/vermicelli noodles.
• 1 green pepper OR 150g of spinach.
• 2/3 cup (110g) beef or pork.
• 1/2 cup (3g) of dry shitake mushrooms.
• 2 cups (180g) of onions.
• 2/3 cup (40g) of spring onions/green onions.
• 2/3 cup (40g) of carrots.
• 4 tablespoons of soy sauce.
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
• 4 tablespoons of sesame oil.
• 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic.
• 4 tablespoons of cooking oil.
• 1/3 tablespoon of salt.
• 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds.
• 1g of pepper.
1. Pre-soak the glass noodles/vermicelli noodles in water for 30 minutes.
2. If you use the green pepper, thinly cut the green pepper vertically. If you use spinach, remove the spinach roots separate each leaf.
3. Thinly slice the onions vertically.
4. Cut the carrots and spring onions/green onions horizontally.
5. Pre-soak the dried shitake mushrooms for 30 minutes and then cut or tear them into bite-sized pieces.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the frying pan and stir-fry the chopped-up beef or pork.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the onions with a pinch of pepper.
8. Add 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the shitake mushrooms and carrots over medium heat. If you use green pepper, stir-fry them, too.
9. If you use spinach, boil some salted water and blanch the spinach for about 12 seconds.
10. Cook the pre-soaked glass noodles/vermicelli noodles in boiling water and rinse with cold water.
11. Remove the moisture from the glass noodles/vermicelli noodles and cut with scissors.
12. Add the stir-fried ingredients, spinach (if you use any), and minced garlic to noodles and mix well.
13. Season to taste with sugar, soy sauce, and salt, then add some sesame oil and pepper.
14. Plate up and sprinkle sesame seeds to finish.
