Japchae with beef and lots of vegetables
55 min · 34 g protein · 448 cals / serving
Glossy, bouncy glass noodles tossed with tender strips of beef, sesame spinach, carrot, red pepper, onion and shiitake in a sweet soy and toasted sesame dressing, then finished with thin ribbons of egg and sesame seeds. Korea's party noodle dish, with more vegetables than noodles, and just as good warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 oz glass noodles, Korean sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)
- 14 oz top sirloin steak, in thin strips
Sauce
- 3 1/2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1 3/4 tsp granulated sugar, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, grated, divided
- 2 tsp sesame oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb 2 oz spinach
- 2 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp canola oil, divided
- 1 very large onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, in matchsticks
- 2 medium red bell peppers, in thin strips
- 15 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 green onions, in 5 cm (2-inch) lengths
To serve
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Steps
- Boil the noodles for 6–7 minutes (or as the pack says) until soft and chewy, drain, rinse briefly and snip them a few times with scissors so they are easier to toss.
- Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon of the soy, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, a third of the garlic and the black pepper.
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, cool under the tap and squeeze dry; toss with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
- Make the egg ribbons: brush a nonstick pan with a few drops of oil, pour in the egg and cook on low heat until set, flip briefly, then roll up and slice into thin strips.
- Heat the rest of the canola oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the beef 2 minutes until browned and lift it out. Stir-fry the onion, carrot, pepper and shiitake 3–4 minutes until just tender, adding the scallions at the end.
- Stir the remaining soy, sugar, garlic and sesame oil together. Add the noodles, beef, spinach and sauce to the wok and toss over low heat for 2 minutes until the noodles are glossy and evenly coloured. Pile onto a platter and top with the egg ribbons and sesame seeds.
Good to know
Which noodles should I buy?
Korean dangmyeon, made from sweet potato starch, are grey-brown when dry and turn clear and springy. Mung bean glass noodles are thinner but work.
Does it keep?
For 3 days in the fridge. The noodles firm up when cold; warm them in a pan with a splash of water, or let them come to room temperature.
Vegetarian?
Leave out the beef and add another 5 oz of mushrooms and some fried tofu strips: a score of about 60 instead of 66.
Per
- Calories
- 84
- Protein
- (32%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (42%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 143 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1793 kcal goes into the pot and 2238 g of ingredients comes out as about 2130 g of food: 84 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.