Vegetable Japchae

Japchae goes wrong in one specific way: the noodles sit in the sauce and swell until they are soft and claggy. Rinse them cold the moment they are done, dress them while they are still slippery, and they keep that bouncy chew that makes the dish.

1. 1

   Boil the noodles for 6 minutes, then rinse them under cold water until completely cool and cut through the tangle a few times with scissors.

   For this step

   • 200 g sweet potato glass noodles
2. 2

   Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds, cool it, and squeeze out as much water as you can.

   For this step

   • 150 g spinach
3. 3

   Stir the soy, sesame oil, sugar and garlic together into a dressing.

   For this step

   • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
   • 1½ tbsp (19 g) caster sugar
   • 3 cloves garlic
   • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
4. 4

   Fry the onion, carrot, pepper and mushrooms in a hot pan for about 4 minutes total, keeping some bite in the vegetables.

   For this step

   • 1 carrot
   • 1 onion
   • 150 g shiitake mushrooms
   • 1 red pepper
5. 5

   Turn the heat off, add the noodles, spinach and dressing, and toss with tongs until everything is evenly glossy and dark.

   For this step

   • 200 g sweet potato glass noodles
   • 150 g spinach
6. 6

   Finish with sesame seeds. It is good warm and better at room temperature.

   For this step

   • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
   • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

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