This Easy Japchae Recipe is made with soft glass noodles, tender vegetables, and juicy ribeye, all in tangy and umami sesame oil sauce. This dish is deliciously savory.
If you love Asian noodle dishes, then you have to try this 30-Minute Shrimp Chow Mein and this Gluten-Free Stir Fry with Rice Noodles.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love this Easy Japchae Recipe because it’s so satisfying and delicious. It has lots of flavor and is an easy and crowd-pleasing dish that’s perfect for a cold night.
- TASTE: Salty, tangy, and sweet, this Japchae has a delicious umami flavored sauce that makes all the vegetables and meat taste amazing.
- TEXTURE: The noodles are soft, the ribeye tender, and the vegetables have just a little bit of crunch to them.
- TIME: This dish takes 40 minutes.
- EASE: This dish has a number of steps, but it’s really easy to make. Just follow along with my step-by-step images to make perfect Japchae at home.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Glass noodles- These Korean noodles are gluten-free and made with potato starch. They are essential to this dish.
- Ribeye- This fatty, unctuous cut of beef offers so much flavor to this noodle dish.
- Veggies- Use fresh spinach, carrots, bell peppers, and onions for the perfect flavor and texture.
- Rice vinegar- This tangy ingredient adds acidity to the sauce.
- Soy sauce- This salty, umami sauce is the base for the sauce.
- Sesame oil- This oil has a lot of potent flavor that infuses the sauce with sesame flavor.
- Aji-mirin- This is a sweet cooking wine that balances out the salty flavors.
- Brown sugar- This adds some sweetness to the ribeye meat that will caramelize when it cooks.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute different proteins- Add tofu, pork loin, short ribs, or chicken to this dish in place of the ribeye. Or you can make it vegetarian.
- Add other vegetables- Make this dish with shiitake mushrooms, zucchini, oyster mushrooms, kale, watercress, bok choy, or broccoli.
- Substitute the noodles- In a pinch, you can use vermicelli noodles in place of the glass noodles.
- Make it gluten-free- The noodles are already gluten-free, so all you will need to substitute is the soy sauce for tamari sauce.
How to Make Easy Japchae
- Make the sauce/marinade. In a bowl, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and black pepper. Mix with a whisk and set aside.
- Marinate the ribeye. Cut the beef into thin strips. Then add the sliced meat to a bowl and mix it with 2 Tbsp of the marinate. Then set it aside to marinate for at least 5-10 minutes.
Pro Tip: Make sure all your veggies are chopped before you begin cooking. Things move fast, so this is crucial.
- Cook the glass noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the glass noodles for about 6 minutes.
- Rinse the noodles. Transfer the cooked pasta into a fine-mesh sieve to drain the water out and rinse with cold water.
- Cut them. Use kitchen sheers to cut the noodles about 4 times so that the noodles aren’t too long.
- Add sauce to the noodles. Then transfer the glass noodles into a large bowl and mix it with 3 Tbsp of the reserved sauce/marinade. Set aside.
- Blanch the spinach. Now bring another pot of water to a boil and blanch the spinach for about 10 seconds. Drain and squeeze the water out and cut it about 2 times. Set aside.
- Saute the onion. Add a Tbsp of olive oil to a wok over medium-high heat. Then add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and stir fry quickly just to soften it. Then transfer the onion to a plate to let it cool and stop the cooking process.
- Saute the green onion. In the same wok, repeat the same steps with the green onion. Add a Tbsp oil and a pinch of salt and stir fry lightly. Transfer to a plate.
- Saute the carrots and peppers. Add another Tbsp of oil and salt along with the thinly julienned carrots and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add in the bell peppers. Stir fry and transfer to cool.
- Add the beef and mushrooms. Now add in the marinaded beef strips and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add the sliced mushrooms and cook just until tender.
- Add it all to a plate. Transfer to the same plate as the vegetables, spreading everything out.
- Assemble the Japchae. Add the cooked vegetables to the bowl of noodles, then pour in the remaining sauce. Mix and enjoy. Add salt if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the ribeye into thin strips against the grain- Try to cut against the grain because this ensures optimal tenderness.
- Rinse the glass noodles. Rinse them with cold water to prevent the noodles from becoming overcooked and mushy.
- Trim the noodles and spinach- You don’t want them to be too long and difficult to eat so cut them down to a quarter of the size.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables- Make sure that they are softened, but still leave a little crunch to them. Do not overcook them.
- Spread the cooked vegetables on a plate- Spreading the vegetables out keeps the colors vibrant and the texture crunchy.
FAQs
What ingredients are in japchae?
Japchae are glass noodles that are made of starch and water (dangmyeon). They are sold dried and reconstituted in water to be used in stir-frys, soups, and spring rolls.
What can you substitute for noodles in japchae?
You can use rice noodles in place of the glass noodles in Japchae. Vermicelli also works.
Serving Suggestions
This Easy Japchae Recipe is savory, umami, and salty in all the best ways. This meaty noodle stir fry is great with rice, salad, vegetables, and other Asian dishes.
- Rice: Serve it alongside Wild Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, Wild Brown Rice, or Pork Fried Rice.
- Salads: Start the meal with a Asian Chicken Salad, Purple Cabbage Salad, Spinach Salad, or Cabbage Cucumber Salad.
- Vegetables: Pair this Japchae with some Super Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Air Fryer Green Beans.
- Asian dishes: Serve this dish alongside some Teriyaki Chicken Wings, Chow Mein (VIDEO), Grilled Bang Bang Shrimp (VIDEO), or Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (copycat).
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can saute the vegetables and then cover the dish with plastic wrap, keeping it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the Japchae.
Storing: Store this Japchae in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.
Freeze: You can freeze this dish in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat.
More Yummy Asian-inspired Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Easy Japchae Recipe
This Easy Japchae Recipe is full of savory ribeye, tender glass noodles, and slightly crunchy veggies in an umami sauce.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 421kcal
Ingredients
- 7 ounces Korean potato starch noodles
- 1/2 yellow onion sliced
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1 red bell pepper julienned
- 6 oz mushrooms baby Bella or shiitake, sliced
- 6 oz ribeye thinly sliced strips
- 4 oz large leaf spinach
- 1 bunch green onion cut in 2 inch strips
- Light tasting olive oil for stir frying
- salt to taste
- 6 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Make sure all your veggies are chopped before beginning to cook. Things move fast, so this is crucial. Now begin making your base sauce/marinate. This will be used multiple times throughout the cooking process. In a bowl add the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, minced garlic, toasted sesame seeds, and black pepper.
- Use a whisk to mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside for later.
- Cut the beef into thin strips. Try to cut against the grain for optimal tenderness.
- Add the sliced meat into a bowl and mix it with 2 Tbsp of the marinate you prepared earlier. Then set it aside to marinate for at least 5-10 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the glass noodles for about 6 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked pasta into a fine-mesh sieve to drain the water out and rinse with cold water to prevent the noodles from becoming over-cooked and mushy.
- Use kitchen sheers to cut the noodles about 4 times so that the noodles aren’t too long.
- Then transfer the glass noodles into a large bowl and mix it with 3 Tbsp of the reserved sauce/marinade. Set aside.
- Now bring another pot of water to a boil and blanch the spinach for about 10 seconds.
- Drain and squeeze the water out and cut it about 2 times. Set aside.
- Now bring a wok over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil once the wok is well heated. Then add the sliced onion + a pinch of salt and stir fry quickly just to soften it but still leave a little crunch to it. Then transfer the onion to a plate to let it cool and stop the cooking process.
- In the same wok, repeat the same steps with the green onion. Add 1 Tbsp oil + a pinch of salt and stir fry lightly. With each vegetable, it is important not to overcook them. So transfer to a plate and let it cook to preserve the texture and vibrant color.
- Add another Tbsp of oil + salt along with the thinly julienned carrots and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add in the bell peppers. Stir fry and transfer to cool.
- Now add in the marinaded beef strips and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add the sliced mushrooms and cook just until tender.
- Transfer to the same plate as the vegetables. Tip: spreading out the vegetables keeps the colors vibrant and the texture crunchy.
- Add the cooked vegetables to the bowl of noodles.
- Then pour in the remaining sauce.
- Mix and enjoy. Make sure to taste it before serving in case you prefer it to be saltier.
Notes
- Cut the ribeye into thin strips against the grain- Try to cut against the grain because this ensures optimal tenderness.
- Rinse the glass noodles. Rinse them with cold water to prevent the noodles from becoming overcooked and mushy.
- Trim the noodles and spinach- You don’t want them to be too long and difficult to eat so cut them down to a quarter of the size.
- Don’t overcook the vegetables- Make sure that they are softened, but still leave a little crunch to them. Do not overcook them.
- Spread the cooked vegetables on a plate- Spreading the vegetables out keeps the colors vibrant and the texture crunchy.
Nutrition
Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 1602mg | Potassium: 619mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 6174IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg
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Hi, I’m Dina, so glad you stopped by! I believe life is too short for bad coffee and boring meals. With my easy to follow step-by-step recipes, you’ll be surprised at how quickly a wholesome and delicious meal can come together. I hope you find something you enjoy!
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