Japchae (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles Stirfry)

This is my favorite Korean dish that I've tried so far, and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  That was this morning, and today was the day!  Lucky for me, I have a Korean market across the street from my office so I found the noodles quite easily.

I added some black vinegar, because I like it.  I also added some jumbo prawns  tossed in a bit of soy and pepper.

I threw them in the last few minutes of cooking. I added some zucchini as I had one.  I made my own edits to her recipe as below.  I prepared all my Mise en Place first as a stir-fry really requires that you do, since once you start, everything goes quickly.

STIR-FRY INGREDIENTS:

• 400 grams dangmyeon ( mine were Nongshim Miga Glass Noodle)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil 
• 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, stems removed 
• 1 red bell pepper, insides removed,  thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot,  julienned
• 1 zucchini, julienned
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 ounce container organic container baby spinach
• 1 lb jumbo prawns (U12)
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Sliced green onions, for garnish
• Sriracha sauce, for garnish, to taste

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

STEAK INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb top sirloin. sliced thinly, against the grain
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

To Make The Noodles:  In a large bowl, add hot tap water. Add noodles in for 20 mins to soak.  Drain.  After 20 mins, when the noodles are soft, cut them in half and sprinkle some sesame oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.

To Make The Sauce: Whisk until mixed well.

To Prep The Steak: Toss the steak with soy sauce, and pepper.  Let marinate for 5 minutes.

To Make The Stir-Fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan on high heat.  Add the steak and sauté  until cooked through.  Move steak to plate and  set aside.

Because I didn't cook my noodles, I sauteed them next for 5 minutes with a bit of the sauce, just to make sure they would be cooked at the end.  I took them out and put aside.

Lower heat in pan to medium-high.  Add the remaining oil and the onion, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.  Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, carrot and garlic cloves, and season with S&P.  Continue sautéing until the veggies are tender crisp.

Stir in the spinach, prawns and noodles.  Continue cooking until the spinach has wilted.

Remove pan from heat.  Add the steak and sauce and combine everything.  Taste.  I added a bit more soy, vinegar and then some Sriracha, as I wanted some heat.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.  I have to say, for a first time try at it, this was delicious!  We both dug right in and devoured it.  My mishap was overcooking the prawns and beef a little, but other than that it was a home run.  The noodles were the star of the show as they should have been.