Monday’s Bread Bowl: Japchae

A spicy Korean noodles stir-fry

We’ve been aching to make this dish for all our loyal Mixed Stew readers.  Chewy and robust glass ribbon noodles are stir-fried with pork, green bell pepper, and scrambled eggs in yummy Japchae.  Here’s the recipe:

What you will need:

1 large wok

1 wooden spatula

3 tbspns cooking oil

1 large heat-safe bowl (or metal bowl)

1/3 cup soy sauce w/ 1tblspn

1 medium red onion, julienned

2-3 bunches choy sum (or 1 head nappa cabbage), cleaned

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, julienned

2-3 carrots, julienned

1 lb pork belly, sliced thin  

1-2 lbs shrimp, shelled

3 whole eggs, beaten and fried into scramble

1 ½ lb dry-packaged (dangmyeon) sweet potato noodles, cooked and drained per directions on package
Pinch of salt and pepper 

Cooking and Directions:

Place wok on stove top at medium-high heat.  Add cooking oil, garlic and onion.  Sautee until onion turns translucent.  Next add pork and brown for another 5 to 8 minutes.  Pour in just a touch of soy sauce mixture while browning to season meat.  Keep tossing ingredients.  Remove pork, onion, and garlic to heat-safe bowl.  Now, add shrimp to hot wok and cook for 4 to 6 minutes.  Toss well then remove cooked shrimp and juices to bowl, too.  Keep hot wok greased well.  Now, arrange cooked sweet potato noodles and veggies in hot wok.  Mix and toss noodles well while adding the last of the soy sauce solution to ingredients.  Let noodles and veggies cook for another 6 to 10 minutes while constantly flipping and stirring ingredients.  Once veggies soften then return pork, shrimp, garlic, etc in heat safe bowl to wok of noodles.   Lastly, incorporate broken pieces egg into cooked stir-fry.  Serve immediately or quickly place in a container with lid for serving later.