Jap Chae
To be completely honest, I really don’t like mushrooms all that much. So when I saw that Home Ec 101 was having a mushroom recipe contest, I didn’t consider even participating. Then I realized that I do love most Korean food, especially my MILs, and it seems that Korean food uses a lot of mushrooms. For some reason, mushrooms in her dishes don’t bother me at all. I guess it goes to show that it depends on how you cook them.
One of my favorite Korean dishes is Jap Chae. I am not sure if mine will ever be as good as my MIL’s, but I won’t give up trying. It’s healthy and taste even better the next day.
- 3 ounces of Korean vermicelli ( is made from sweet potatoes & has a grayish color. I buy mine at my local supermarket in the “ethnic” section. Also can be found at Asian markets
- 1/2 lb. of sirloin or flank steak sliced thinly in 3 inch strips
- spinach about half a pound
- 2 large carrots sliced thinly in 3 inch strips
- bunch of green onions chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup of tree ears or wood ears (can usually be found in the same places as Korean vermicelli, if not available another type of mushroom can be easily substituted)
- 1 green pepper (optional) sliced into 3 inch strips
- vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. of sugar
- 1Tbsp. of soy sauce
- 1 tsp. of dark sesame oil
If using tree ears, soak for 1/2 hour. Drain and rinse well.
Boil about 4 cups of water, add vermicelli and cook for about 3 minutes. Cook enough to soften the noodles but not overcook. They need to keep a little texture and stiffness. Drain and set aside.
Heat up oil and stir fry steak for just a minute. Then add all the veggies, except the mushrooms and cook for for about 3 minutes or until veggies are slightly soft, but not cooked all the way. After doing this, add the soy, sugar, and sesame oil and mushrooms, mixing all together. Lastly add noodles and serve.
Please let me know if you try this and what you think. I would also love to know if you decide to post your own mushroom recipe and take part in Home Ec 101’s contest!
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10 Responses to “Jap Chae”
September 12th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Mmm, sounds tasty! Thanks for the linky love!
September 12th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
That sounds really good. I will have to try it and let you know how it goes over at the homestead.
September 12th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
Can someone make it and mail it to me? I have an allergy to cooking.
September 13th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Sounds yummy!!
If I can find the ingredients I’d really like to try it.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Ooh that sure beats the heck out of my stuffed mushrooms. I wonder if i can find the ingredients around here. (Is the sweet potato pasta gluten free? :)) (Heather: there’s an asian market like 10 feet from my house i’ll see if they’ve got the noodles an let ya know :))
October 1st, 2007 at 5:34 am
[…] - Jap Chae, miso soup (yes, I mixed […]
October 1st, 2007 at 6:04 pm
[…] Boogiemum. Your jap chae was fantastic and ranked high not only for its taste as written but also for its versatility. […]
October 8th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
[…] the reason why I am jabbering on about them again is because they chose my Jap Chae recipe as the winner of their month long mushroom recipe contest. How awesome is that? I don’t know. […]
July 1st, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Congrats on winning the recipe contest. I don’t know a lot about Korean cuisine but this sounds really tasty. I wish I REALLY knew the difference between the different Asian cuisines.
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July 24th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Who doesn’t like jap chae?
And the different varieties that you can make from a basic jap chae is simply amazing. But I personally can’t get enough of samgyetang and samgyeopsal (bbq pork). I get constant cravings for them and whenever I visit Korea, they are must haves for me. They do burn a hole in my pocket though!
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