Japchae

Name: Japchae
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 plates
Cuisine: korean
Ingredients: 250 g Dangmyeon; 4 tbsp Soy sauce; 1.5 tbsp Sugar; 2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil; 2 clove Garlic; 150 g Spinach; 1 medium Carrot, julienned; 1 small Onion, sliced; 100 g Mushrooms, sliced shiitake if you can; 150 g Beef, thin strips; 1 large Egg, thin omelette strips; 1 tsp Sesame seeds; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 pinch Black pepper

잡채

Glossy sweet-potato noodles with sesame, soy and a rainbow of vegetables — banquet food that also does potluck.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 잡채.

0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Total: 55 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Source photograph of Japchae. Not official I Want Some Food pixel artwork. — Photo: Ibrahim Husain Meraj via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

About

Japchae is glass noodles that should stay springy and separate, each vegetable cooked on its own so the colours stay honest. The seasoning is soy, sugar and sesame oil — not chilli. It is served at celebrations and also from a plastic container at room temperature. Both are correct.

Ingredients

Servings

Dangmyeon250 g
Soy sauce59 ml
Sugar22 ml
Toasted sesame oil30 ml
Garlic2 clove
Spinach150 g
Carrot, julienned1 medium
Onion, sliced1 small
Mushrooms, sliced shiitake if you can100 g
Beef, thin strips (optional)150 g
Egg, thin omelette strips (optional)1 large
Sesame seeds4.9 ml
Neutral oil30 ml
Black pepper1 pinch

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Boil dangmyeon until just flexible, 6–8 minutes. Drain, cut into shorter lengths with scissors, and toss with 1 tbsp soy and 1 tbsp sesame oil so they do not set into a brick.
10 min
Step 2
Blanch spinach, squeeze, season with salt and a drop of sesame oil. Sauté carrot, onion and mushroom separately with a pinch of salt — each should stay bright.
12 min
Step 3
If using beef, sear quickly with a little soy and garlic. Cook a thin omelette and slice.
6 min
Step 4
Toss noodles with remaining soy, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper. Fold in vegetables and beef. Taste: savoury-sweet, not salty soup. Sesame seeds.
3 min
Tip: If it tastes dull, it wants sesame oil, not more soy.

Adapt this recipe

The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 24 August.

Substitutions

Beef → More mushrooms
The usual vegetarian table.

Tips

Japchae is good at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it into a noodle ice block if you can serve it today.
A splash of water in the pan loosens leftover noodles.

History & culture

A janchi (feast) table almost always has japchae. Home cooks often make it a day ahead. Beef is common, not required.

The royal-court ancestor was vegetables without noodles. Dangmyeon arrived later and became the dish people now mean.

Traditional

Provenance: Editorial adaptation. Original editorial adaptation for I Want Some Food. Not copied from another recipe site. Official recipe photography is pending. Photograph: Ibrahim Husain Meraj via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Homemade%20Japchae%2C%20Dhaka%2002.jpg

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.

How long does Japchae take?

55 min all in — 30 min prep, 25 min cook. That is the time on this recipe, not a guess.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Soy, Sesame, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Saucepan, Frying pan, Mixing bowl.

How much salt do I put in?

This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Soy sauce — 4 tbsp. Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.

How much soy sauce?

4 tbsp of Soy sauce.

How much sugar?

1½ tbsp of Sugar.

How much toasted sesame oil?

2 tbsp of Toasted sesame oil.

What can I use instead?

Beef → More mushrooms. The usual vegetarian table.

Any tips from this recipe?

Japchae is good at room temperature. Do not refrigerate it into a noodle ice block if you can serve it today. A splash of water in the pan loosens leftover noodles.

Can I prepare this ahead?

A splash of water in the pan loosens leftover noodles.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.