Korean Japchae

My exposure to international food began when i started travelling extensively , as a part of my professional career . While i travelled , i made sure i cut out time for a short visit to the nearby departmental store , as that is where all the goodies are usually stocked up . I realized that abroad , even the smallest of the stores , can spoil one with the available choices. When i visited China , Japan , Korea and other parts of the far east , i realized how many ' types ' noodles actually exist . Also , canned food , sauce and pickles are other floor to ceiling section I devoured .

In Korea , i particularly enjoyed the Korean Japchae - a dish that typically requires meat and vegetables . Since i am not much of a beef eater at home, I modified it to a seafood Japchae and the results were pretty amazing . Happy to share the recipe with you here.

Most argue that the separate cooking process is unnecessary but by doing this step , one enhances individual flavors of all elements , both by texture and color . A well made Japchae should have a balanced sweet and savory flavor, crunchy vegetable texture , bouncy noodles and distinct flavor of sesame

Things you will need

Main Ingredients

• 250 g any variant of glass noodles 100 g de-veined prawns

Veges

• 5 stalks of baby spinach + 1 carrot - finely chopped , 1/4 red capsicum -finely chopped , 1/2 onion -finely chopped + 100 g fresh mushroom - thinly sliced

• Spinach Seasoning 1/4 tsp fine sea salt + 1/2 tsp minced garlic + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• Prawn Marinade 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp rice wine + 1/2 tsp minced garlic + 1/4 tsp ground black pepper + 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

• Noodle and Mushroom Marinade 4 Tbsp soy sauce + 1 Tbsp honey + 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil + 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• Finishing Touch 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds + 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil + 1 egg - egg white and yolk separated

Steps 1. Place the Prawn into a bowl - Add the " prawn marinade" and mix - Cover the bowl with food wrap and keep aside . 2. Get the rest of the ingredients ready as per below order

- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 15 seconds -Drain the water and cool it down by running it under cold tap water. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water and put it into a mixing bowl. Add the “spinach seasoning” and mix them gently - Keep aside

- Soak the noodles in water ( as per instruction in packet) . Stain the water and mix the drained noodles with 3/4th portion of noodle marinade .

- Marinade the mushroom , with the remaining marinade and keep aside

3. Heat a pan and start cooking in the below order ( We will cook from the lightest to darkest color , so everything retains its actual color . Also keep everything separate post stir fry - before you assemble everything together in the last step )

- Put the egg white in the pan with some salt - cook it into an omelette and keep aside .

- Do the same with the egg yellow - cook and keep aside

- Put the veges in the pan with 1tsp oil - stir fry for 3-4 mins and keep aside

- Put the spinach in the pan 1tsp oil - stir fry for 2 mins and keep aside

- Stir fry Prawns , mushroom and lastly the glass noodles separately each time

4. Take your serving dish and assemble everything portion wise - Add the“finishing touch” ingredients on top - i.e the sesame oil & the sesame seeds . Mix everything gently and evenly with your hands.

5. Slice the egg omelettes into thin portions and serve ( ref pic )

Voila ! Korean Japchae sits on your table !!!