Vegetable japchae

Method

1. 01

   Mix the noodle seasoning

   Stir 55 ml soy sauce, brown sugar, 20 ml sesame oil, 10 g garlic, and black pepper until the sugar dissolves. Keep 25 ml soy sauce, 15 ml sesame oil, and 5 g garlic for the vegetables and finish.

   

2. 02

   Prepare the vegetables

   Cut onion, carrot, red pepper, and garlic chives to roughly 5 cm lengths and no more than 5 mm thick where applicable. Trim 2 cm from the enoki root base and separate it into pencil-thick bundles; keep every vegetable separate.

   

3. 03

   Quickly wilt the garlic chives

   Heat 5 ml neutral oil over medium-high. Toss garlic chives with 1 g salt for 45 seconds, just until flexible but still bright green. Turn off the heat, mix in 5 ml soy sauce, 5 ml sesame oil, and 2 g garlic, then transfer to the mixing bowl.

   

4. 04

   Cook the glass noodles

   Boil noodles in at least 3 L water for 7–8 minutes, stirring twice, until translucent and chewy with no hard core. Follow texture rather than extending blindly to the packet maximum.

   

5. 05

   Drain, cut, and season noodles

   Drain thoroughly without rinsing, cut the hot noodles twice with kitchen scissors, and immediately toss with the prepared noodle seasoning. Spread in a wide bowl so they do not clump.

   

6. 06

   Soften the onion

   Heat 5 ml neutral oil over medium-high. Stir-fry onion with 1 g salt for 3 minutes until translucent at the edges but not browned; add it to the noodles.

   

7. 07

   Cook the carrot

   Add 5 ml oil and stir-fry carrot with 1 g salt for 3 minutes, until flexible and bright. Transfer immediately so it does not lose colour.

   

8. 08

   Cook the red pepper

   Add 5 ml oil and stir-fry red pepper with 1 g salt for 2 minutes. Stop while it is still crisp at the centre, then add it to the bowl.

   

9. 09

   Cook the enoki

   Add the remaining 10 ml neutral oil and the enoki bundles. Cook 2–3 minutes until flexible with a few pale-gold edges, then add 15 ml soy sauce and the remaining 3 g garlic and stir 30 seconds.

   

10. 10

    Fold everything together

    Add the hot enoki and every cooked vegetable to the seasoned noodles. Wearing food-safe gloves or using two spatulas, lift and fold for 2 minutes so the noodles, chives, and enoki stay visibly distinct.

    

11. 11

    Balance while warm

    Taste a noodle with one piece of vegetable. Add no more than 5 ml extra soy sauce only if needed; the noodles absorb salt as they stand, so avoid making them salty now.

    

12. 12

    Finish with sesame

    Fold in the remaining 10 ml sesame oil and all sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature within 2 hours, separating the strands once more just before plating.