Stir fried noodles - japchae

Soak the shitake in water and
cut the vegetables (not spinach).

Spring is here! I know I should cook fresh and crispy food for the celebration of spring but I decided to cook Korean food called japchae, stir fried noodles.

This recipe is for 4-6 people:

200 g noodles (1 or 2 packages)

250 g fresh spinach

2 carrots

1 large onion

8 white mushrooms

8 green onions

1 chili

8 shiitake mushrooms

6 cloves of garlic

300 g chicken

Soy sauce

Sesame oil

Sugar

Pepper

Sesame seeds

Let the dried shiitake mushrooms to soak in water for couple of hours and squeeze the water out from them. Cook the noodles according to the package’s instructions.

Cook the spinach
for 1 minute.

Cut the vegetables (not the spinach), mushrooms and the meat in to slices. Drain the noodles and put in to a large bowl. Cut them with scissors in to small pieces. Pour 2 tbs of soy sauce and sesame oil on the noodles and mix it well.

Boil the spinach for 1 minute in the same water you boiled the noodles. Take the spinach out from the casserole and rinse it 3 times before carefully squeezing the water out from them. Cut the spinach into small pieces and mix 1 tbs of soy sauce and sesame oil in it before putting it on the noodles.

Cook the vegetables
on olive oil.

Cook the carrots on a pan with olive oil for 2 minutes and add it on noodles in the large bowl of noodles. Then cook the thinly sliced onion until translucent before adding them as well on noodles. Cook the white mushrooms for few minutes and add them on noodles. Cook the green onions and chili for 1 minute and add them on the noodles.

Cook the chicken until golden brown, add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and cook some more. Add the minced garlic with soy sauce and sugar and cook for less than a minute. Add the mix in to the bowl with noodles, vegetables and mushrooms. Pour 4 tbs of soy sauce, 6 tbs of sugar, 4 tbs of sesame oil and pepper on the mix. Stir the mix well and add the sesame seeds. 

Cook the meat golden brown
before adding shitake.

Mix everything well before serving.

Enjoy!