Japchae
Stir-fried sweet-potato glass noodles
Ingredients
- 250 g Sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)
- 200 g Beef flank steak
- 150 g Spinach
- 1 Carrot
- 150 g Button mushrooms
- 4 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 Scallions (optional)
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Julienne the carrot and mushroom; mince the garlic and slice the scallions.
- Boil the glass noodles until slippery and tender, about 6 minutes, then drain and cut.
- First blanch the spinach briefly and squeeze dry. Then stir-fry the beef, carrot, and mushroom in batches in the neutral oil (each cooks at a different rate), and combine with the spinach.
- Toss the noodles and vegetables with the soy, sesame oil, and sugar over low heat until evenly coated and glossy.
- Finish with sesame seeds and scallions and serve warm.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Japchae
Japchae is a Korean dish of stir-fried sweet potato glass noodles, dangmyeon, tossed with beef and a rainbow of vegetables in a sesame-soy dressing. It's a celebratory, banquet-style dish traditionally served at holidays, birthdays, and family feasts, prized for both its taste and its colorful presentation. The defining ingredient is the dangmyeon itself: chewy, bouncy, translucent noodles that stay slippery and springy rather than soft, giving japchae a texture unlike any wheat noodle. Thin ribbons of flank steak, julienned carrot and mushroom, blanched spinach, and scallions each keep their own character in the finished bowl.
The flavor is savory and lightly sweet, with toasted sesame oil perfuming everything and a gloss of soy tying it together, finished with a scatter of sesame seeds for nutty crunch. It can be served warm or at room temperature, which makes it as good on a party spread as it is as a side or light main. The key technique this version insists on is cooking each component separately, blanching the spinach and stir-frying the beef and vegetables in batches, because everything cooks at a different rate and only comes together properly when combined at the end. That patience is what keeps the vegetables vivid and the noodles evenly coated and glossy rather than clumped or soggy.
Japchae: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Japchae?
A serving has about 545 calories — 15.1g protein, 68.1g carbs, 24.3g fat, 3.5g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Japchae gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does Japchae take to make?
About 40 minutes start to finish, but only around 24 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Japchae?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, sesame seeds — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Japchae make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.