Japchae (whisk the pantry's version)

Today is one of those days that you prefer to stay inside. It is cold, wet, cloudy, and kind of snow outside. Well, maybe I shouldn't complain about it since we pretty much get less than half of snow this year(which  is weird because in the States, they get tons of snow and we get pretty much nothing up here). Still, I hope spring is coming soon!

Because of the weather, I feel like making something easy, simple and ,of course, fast.

When I was in university, my roommate always made Korean food. Her mom made lots of Bulgogi (marinated beef) for her. So, we always had tons of these in our freezer. Because of her, I fell in love with Korean food. I love Korean food because they use lots of vegetable in their dishes and also have so many numbers of side dishes. My favorite Korean dish is probably Bibimbap. This dish is served in a super hot stone bowl. Rice is placed in the bowl and topped with sautéed vegetable (including cucumber, zucchini, mushrooms, soybean sprouts, and spinach), beef bulgogi, and a raw egg. The way you eat this dish is you put the Korean chili pepper paste (gochujang) and mix everything together. Because of the bowl is super hot, anything that touches the bowl sizzles and gets golden and crispy. I love it when the chili paste get caramelize.

Another korean dish that I like is called Japchae. It’s a noodle dish that stir-fired in sesame oil with various vegetable. So, what I made today is my version of Japchae. I hope you like it.

Japchae (whisk the pantry's version)

 
For bulgogi beef:
1/2 lb sliced beef ( I had beef eye of round, so I sliced it very thinly. It is easier to slice the beef thinly when the beef is semi-frozen)
3 tbsp soysauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
 
(Note: if you like spicy, you can add couple teaspoons of gochujang)
 
For the rest:
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium bok choy, chopped into 1-inch piece
3 dried shiitake mushroom, soaked for 15-20 mins, stemmed, sliced
1-2 bunch of korean cellophane noodle (dangmyeon) 
3-4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
 
To marinate bulgogi beef
Combine all the ingredients for bulgogi beed. Marinate the beef for 30 mins to 1 hour.
 
To make Japchae
Heat oil in a large frying pan over the medium-high heat; stir fry the marinated beef until browned all over and cooked through. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add in the dangmyeon. Cook for 5-8 mins, or until it is soften. Drain and set aside.

While the noodle is cooking, heat oil in another large frying plan; sautéed onion until golden brown. Add in the carrot and cook for 5-6 mins. Add in the bok choy and the mushroom, stir and cook for another 5 mins. When the vegetable are soften, add the dangmyeon and the beef. Cook for another 2 mins. Add in the soy sauce and sesame oil, stir and cook for another 2-3 mins.