Japchae (Vegetable Beef Vermicelli)

The original JapChae, a Korean style vegetable beef with sweet potato vermicelli/cellophane noodles uses beef, but I used chicken in mine.  While looking at my old JapChae recipe, it was so different.  I used to add dark soy sauce because as a Malaysian, I seem to be addicted to dark color food in the beginning of my cooking.  My noodle, fried rice and stir-fried dishes were mostly dark in color.  But over the years, it has change, my cooking seem to be more balance now, not all dishes were dark in color, more white color food came out from me actually.  With the birth of my girls, my cooking also became less spicy.  Guess I would suffer when I go back to Malaysia for a visit as I am not use to that level of heat anymore.

This JapChae was served with Myulchi Bokkeum (Stirfried Anchovies).   The recipe is mostly adapted from the back of the sweet potato vermicelli (dang myun) that I bought in the Asian market.

Ingredients:

• 1 16oz packet of sweet potato vermicelli/cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water until soften.
• 2 dried flower shitake mushroom, soften in hot water and thinly sliced.  Season with soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil
• 1/2 cup of dried woodear fungus, soften in hot water and drain
• 1 small carrot, thinly julienned
• 1/2 yellow onion, julienned
• 1 skinless and boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced and marinated with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, white pepper and cornstarch.
• 2 scallion, shredded
• 1 big bowl of washed and ready to eat spinach
• 2 gloves of garlic
• 1 Tbsp. Toasted white sesame seeds

Sauce:  Soy sauce, Kadoya sesame oil, salt, sugar and pepper to taste

Method:

1.  In a heated wok, add in oil.  When hot, stir-fry the chicken until cooked.  Dish out and set aside.

2.  In the same heated wok, add in more oil.  Add in onion, then garlic and stir-fry for a minute.  Add in mushroom and woodear and stir-fry well.  Then, add in carrot and mix well.  After that add in cooked chicken and spinach, stir-fry until spinach is cooked.  Add in sweet potato vermicelli and the sauce.  Add some water if needed.

3.  Stir well with a chopsticks or two forks, mix well with the sauces and until the vermicelli turns transparent.  Add the scallion.  Lastly add in the toasted sesame seeds and mix well.  Serve!