Jap Chae

This morning, I was feeling a lot of tenseness in the belly region, which I wasn't too sure about. I don’t think there was too much of a pattern to them so I couldn't really worry about them...that is...until it gets more severe and frequent. Thankfully, I made it through Korean night last night so I have a couple more dishes up my sleeve to relay. However, if there is several days break in posts, I’m pretty sure you can guess what happened.

I absolutely love Jap Chae…it’s basically my favorite Korean dish. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for hubby. I guess he’s just not much of a noodle fan (I hope baby sides with me on this one), but I guess he can’t complain since I did also make the short ribs too (see last post). While there are many steps involved, it is relatively easy to prepare as long as you have a big wok to combine all the ingredients at the end. I think the most difficult part is combining of the ingredients at the end, particularly right now when I can’t really lift anything. Thankfully, there are the sous chefs yet again who have come to the rescue, both with the prep work (cutting veggies – hubby) and the combining of all the ingredients in the wok at the end (mother in law).

INGREDIENTS:

1 package of Sweet Potato Noodles
1/2 lb. Beef (thinly sliced)
1/2 Onion (cut in strips)
1 Carrot (cut in strips)
1 Small Zucchini (cut in strips)
1 cup Mushrooms (sliced)
1 cup Black Fungus (Diced)
1 medium bunch of Spinach (stems removed)
4 Eggs
3 cloves of Garlic (minced)
6 tsp. Oil
1 tsp. Corn Starch
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Black Pepper

Sauce:
1 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup of Sesame Oil
6 tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tbsp. Kecap Manis

DIRECTIONS:

Marinate beef with corn starch, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, sugar and black pepper.

Boil sweet potato noodles according to package instructions and drain. If you want to save time, use the same hot water to boil spinach. You can also just boil another pot of water to cook the spinach. Once spinach is cooked, drain, squeeze out water and set aside.

In a bowl, mix together the sauce ingredient: soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and Kecap Manis.

Once noodles are dry, transfer into a large bowl. Spoon sauce over noodles until everything is coated and noodles are not sticking together. You should still have some of the sauce left over for stir-frying.

In a small bowl, beat eggs. Heat up wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Fry egg and once cooked, remove from wok. With a pair of scissors, cut up egg into strips once they have cooled down a bit.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add onions and stir-fry. When they are beginning to soften, add carrots. Once both are a little browned and softened, remove from wok.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add zucchini and stir-fry briefly as they cook very fast. Allow water to evaporate, then remove from wok.

Reheat wok and add 1 tsp. oil. Add mushrooms and black fungus, then stir-fry. Once mushrooms are cooked and water has evaporated, remove both ingredients from wok.

Reheat wok again and add 1 tsp. oil. Add 1/3 of the minced garlic and sauté until browned, then add marinated beef. Stir-fry until beef is almost cooked, then add a spoon of the sauce mixture. Once cooked, remove from wok.

Finally, reheat wok for the final time and add 1 tsp. oil. Add remainder of minced garlic and sauté until browned. Add half of the beef, onions, carrots, zucchini, mushroom and black fungus and spinach. Stir-fry briefly to reheat all ingredients, then add all the noodles. Allow noodles to reheat, then add the remainder of the beef, onions, carrots, zucchini, mushroom, black fungus and spinach. Pour the remainder of the sauce on top, then combine all ingredients, preferably with tongs as the noodles can be heavy.

Remove from wok onto a large plate. Add egg strips on top and serve with Gochujang (Korean Hot Pepper Paste)!