The Japchae Recipe My Family Has Made for Generations

Japchae is a traditional Korean noodle dish made with sweet potato noodles, savory beef, and colorful stir fried vegetables. Delicious hot or room temperature, this is the perfect dish to serve for family dinners, barbecues, or big celebrations.

This is a recipe I learned from my mother and my aunts, that they learned from their mother and their grandmother. It is a family recipe of love. In our family we served this with every summer barbecue, alongside the turkey and stuffing at Thanksgiving, for birthdays, and on Lunar New Year. This is also my go-to meal whenever I have a lot of vegetables in the refrigerator that I want to use up.

The bouncy sweet potato noodles are coated in a sweet and savory sauce, then tossed with stir fried vegetables and marinated meat for an absolutely irresistible side or main dish. 

The Essential Components of Japchae

Dangmyeon: Japchae would not be the same dish without the use of sweet potato noodles, called dangmyeon in Korean. Despite their main ingredient, these noodles are not orange and they are not heavy. They are a chewy and bouncy noodle, in the category some refer to as “glass noodles” owing to their translucent appearance. They are easily found in most Asian markets and online.

Vegetables: After the dangmyeon, a rainbow of vegetables is the most essential ingredient. In this recipe I use the same ones that my mom always used, including shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, and spinach. If she had them, she would add bright bell peppers and even broccoli. They are individually stir fried, just long enough to catch a little color on the edges and soften them a touch. We do this so that each vegetable retains its original color, texture, and flavor.

Protein: Not technically an essential ingredient, we have always included at least one protein in our japchae, making this a complete meal in itself. This might take the form of beef, pork, or all my daughters’ favorite—fish cake, a pink and white processed minced fish—that is julienned and stir fried. 

I also include fried egg white and egg yolk strips, called jidan in Korean, to my japchae. The most common protein, and my personal favorite, is beef. Prepared with a sweet and savory marinade, the meat is cut against the grain into strips and quickly stir fried.

Preparation Tips

• Make sure you have everything sliced and ready to go ahead of time. Once you get started, everything moves pretty quickly! 
• Add about a teaspoon of high smoke point oil (like avocado oil) to a heavy-bottomed pan or wok before adding each item, and season each ingredient with a pinch of salt. Seasoning as you go avoids under-seasoned Japchae. 
• You’ll quickly and lightly sauté each vegetable on its own, usually in less than 2 to 3 minutes. You want to avoid overcooking the vegetables because they will continue to soften once you add them to the bowl with the other cooked japchae ingredients. 

Japchae Variations

Although this recipe is a great start on your japchae adventure, it is by no means the end of the road. There are as many ways to prepare japchae as there are Korean cooks. 

• Vegetarian: If you want to make this completely vegetarian, you can omit the meat. I have cooked vegetarian mushroom japchae for parties and it’s always a big hit. Use this opportunity to clean out your veggie drawer and use whatever vegetables you have. 
• Seafood: You can also make this into a seafood japchae by adding a variety of cooked seafood, such as shrimp and squid, to your noodles.
• Saucy and sweet, or even spicy: Seasoning alone can change the flavor of your japchae. My mother balanced the salty and the sweet by tossing her noodles with a sweet sauce, and adding her well seasoned vegetables and meat to them. My oldest Aunt liked her japchae spicy, and she always added one or two tablespoons of gochujang to hers. Some people like their japchae more sweet and saucy, so feel free to adjust the amount of sauce and sugar to your liking.

More Beloved Korean Family Recipes

• Kimchi Jjigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)
• Budae Jjigae (Army Base Stew)
• Tteokbokki (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes)
• Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancakes)
• Bibimbap

Marinate the beef:

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and garlic. Set it aside to marinate while you prepare the noodles.

Cook the noodles: 

Set a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

Drain and rinse under cool running water for a few seconds to make them just cool enough to handle. Do not cool them down all the way. If you have long noodles, use kitchen shears to cut them into 8 to 10-inch lengths.

While the noodles cook, make the japchae sauce:

In a large bowl (big enough to do lots of mixing as the rest of the ingredients are added), whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil.

Toss the noodles with the sauce:

Place your cooked noodles into the japchae sauce and use tongs or salad tossers to mix. When the noodles have cooled enough to touch, I like to use my hands to evenly distribute all the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Set the bowl aside.

Make the egg garnish (jidan):

Separate the egg whites and yolks into two small separate bowls, and whisk each.

Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Pour the egg yolks in, tilting the pan back and forth to cover the surface in a thin layer of egg. Cook until the top is just set, but the bottom is not browned. Flip and cook about 10 seconds more. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled, slice the egg into thin strips about 1/8 inch wide and about 2 to 3 inches long, and place on the noodles.

Cook and slice the egg whites the same way, and place them on the noodles.

Cook the vegetables:

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet or wok over high heat. Cook each vegetable separately with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt until they catch some color and just begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer them to the noodles. 

Cook them in the following order: onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, red bell pepper, light portion of green onions.

Cook the dark green portion of the green onion followed by the spinach separately with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt until barely soft, about 30 seconds or less so that they don’t get watery. Transfer them to the noodles.

Cook the meat: 

Give the skillet or wok a couple of minutes to fully heat again over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and the marinated meat, leaving behind the marinade in the bowl. 

Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to allow excess moisture to evaporate. Add the cooked meat to the noodles.

Finish the japchae and serve: 

Toss the noodles with the vegetables, eggs, and beef to combine well. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Refrigerate leftover japchae, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 days.

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