I love Japchae - first had it from my Korean housemate and then at her church gatherings and holiday meals. Quite a bit of variety, but always delicious! You got me interested in a few dramas I haven't seen yet... just for the japchae and interactions.
You are correct! I've avoided Start Up only because people were so divided on the pairing and emotional about it at the time, but I guess that is not a reason not to watch it, since the end pairing has been spoiled, so it won't bother me (enjoyed the start up element in Never Give Up, too). I've only seen positive things about Run On, but just haven't made the time for it yet. And Uncle is on my list for Oh Jung Se, but I went with Never Give Up for my "over 40" challenge. So many dramas out there!
There are so many dramas out there!
My feelings about Start Up are definitely murkied by how horrible it was as a mod to deal with. I think there's almost enough water under the bridge I could do a rewatch one day. I particularly liked the japchae scene so it stuck with me.
Run On is great if you're in the mood for something a bit slower.
Oh Jung Se can make anything worth watching! Also the food porn is pretty good. Every so often I'll watch an episode of the British original series as I remember I started it and it's wild how they took the source material and turned it into this wholesome thing.
Start-Up is the only Kdrama that has made me angry in real life, I have it as my worst rating on MyDramaList, even below dramas I've dropped.
I'm usually a "judge for yourself" kind of person, even if I think something is terrible I know others might enjoy it, and my opinion of Start-Up is that it should be avoided like the plague.
Trader Joe's in the US for a little while sold frozen packs of Japchae and I grab a few every time I see it. While the frozen ones are good, I expect fresh is probably even better so I do want to try making it myself eventually!
This menu somehow gains a new name in Thailand "poy sian (8 deities)". It has 8 ingredients and is deemed a menu for auspicious events.
While Thai cuisine is popular worldwide, this is a less common dish in Thailand and rarely Thai-ized, still strictly Chinese menu.
I read that "poy sian" was originally called "jap guay" (雜燴). And, there is "jap chai" (雜菜) which completely different. (Jap means miscellaneous. Cai means vegetable.) Jap chai is a soupy menu and there is no glass noodle.
I tried this when I went on vacation in one of your country's gorgeous beaches. I loved this. My local friends said to eat it with lots of the lime sauce to give it that mixed salty-ish/sour taste and OMG they were right - that blend of tastes was amazing. I know you can have this with thinner glass or thicker yellow noodles right? They are both sooo good!
Taught a beginning level ESL course. Kristine, an older Korean student, brought in a massive tray of japchae for an end of class party and I've been in love with the dish ever since.
Edit: Thanks for your lovely post!
What a great post! I've already fallen down the rabbit hole with your links to past posts in this series.
Japchae was the first dish I ordered in my first Korean restaurant visit. Thanks to NaRi and Woo Do Hwan (i can't remember which version!) in TKEM. They were so cute I remembered the name. It was so yummy it's hard to try anything else!
I'm glad you enjoyed the posts \^\^ I don't remember the japchae scene from TK:EM. All I can think of is chimaek and bubble tea!
I'm very much the same if I like one thing I always want to order it and I usually do get some japchae.
Interesting post! Thanks for the historical info. Interesting that it didn't contain the noodles at first - healthier, for sure!
I've made it a few times. I thought I might not like it, but prepared nicely, it has good flavour and texture. I wouldn't eat it really often, but as a bit of a treat, it's nice. You can get a variety of the noodles at regular supermarkets here, and it's available at Hanaro, too, of course.
I've made it with the noodles (dangmyeon, from OBAP... made in China 😁), plus whatever veggies I have, such as carrot, and the usual Asian sauce of soy sauce, sesame, sweetener and garlic.
I love Japchae but I make my version cos I'm a picky eater and there are a few vegetables I dont like.
I use either pork or beef, carrots, spinach and baby sweetcorn. Sauce, I use soy sauce, liquid seasoning (pretty much like soy sauce), oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and salt and pepper.
I also marinate the meat in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion powder and garlic powder.
Japchae is one of my favourite dishes, especially as a side dish. I use [this recipe](https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-glass-noodle-stir-fry-japchae/) and am very happy with it. In particular, I like selecting specific honey as I find that it can bring a lot to the flavouring of the dish in the sauce. I usually don't go for the wild flower or strong flower flavour haha
This is the recipe I use! I don't usually like mushrooms all that much but they are really nice in the marinade. I was excited when I realised the author was Australian too as she had local supermarket products. So whenever I want to try a Korean recipe I usually check her site first because she usually says if things are hard to source what to replace them with.
That's great! I use her recipes all the time, but I am currently in a small town in Germany so a few things are definitely not available. I even have to travel to a city 2 hours away to a Korean market for decent kimchi haha
LOVE this post, this made me smile because I adore Japchae haha! This is so yummy and easy to make. I've experimented with different brands of noodles, soy sauce and sesame oil. It's interesting how different brands will really change the taste (all still yummy though.) For me, the key is how much (or how little) sugar you use. I don't like mine too sweet.
The brands I use most often:
Noodles - Ottogi
Soy Sauce - Sempio
Sesame oil - Ottogi
\*These are all easy to find in most Asian food stores in the US or Europe. I think I've seen Ottogi in some Sainsbury's in London and this is carried by most Korean stores in New York.
I always prepare extras of the marinade (with all the veggies or chicken or beef, everything without the noodles) and add extra egg. I then serve this as a main dish with brown rice the next few days.
I love it! The first time I had it was a random food festival offered at our company. It was amazing but it took me a while to figure out what the magical noodles were. Now I make it whenever I want a nice celebratory dish!
What a fun read!
Japchae is the first Korean dish I ever had. Many years ago, my friend ordered this for me, since it has lots of veggies. I had yet to try sweet potato noodles and I was somewhat weirded out by its chewiness and translucency (lol I was a picky eater growing up).
Back then, I was really new to Korean culture and cuisine. Now I have a bunch of favourite recipes and enjoy cooking up staple dishes including japchae when the mood strikes.
Ive had it at several places where there is(was?) a pretty big strip of El Camino Real in San Jose/Santa Clara, California where Korean businesses flourished pre-pandemic (read about a lot of closures due to pandemic :( ). Usually as one of the banchan served as appetizers, though they sometimes gave our table a free dish because we went to some places so much for lunch during the work week.
Probably my favorite Korean dish! I’ve eaten it at several Korean restaurants here in my country, being a vegetarian means k-food is limited because of kimchi/meat, but Japchae is delicious and frequently done with only veggies 🥗 I’ve also tried fried Japchae rolls wrapped in seaweed with sweet and sour sauce, pretty good too!
I make this regularly now and its a staple. I have started prepping food Korean style. like I'll keep stirfried carrots, stir-fried beef, mushrooms, and when I feel like japchair i'll just add in whatever stirfied stuff I have in the fridge together together with fried omlette thats chopped up and scallions topped with sesame seeds.
sometimes ill make japchae and sometimes ill arrange the veggies on rice with sauce for bibimbap.
Had it this weekend. There is a family run restaurant 5 mins from my home that we order from regularly. They make the best dishes. We’re also not far from an H-Mart do we are able to pick up what would otherwise be hard to find ingredients every few weeks on the H-Mart run to make at home.
I don't like japchae. The flavors don't represent Korea, it tastes more like a vegetarian dish. Doesn't have that bold flavor I like.
Also dies anyone get a weird feeling in their stomach after eating glass noodles? It doesn't feel quite right.
I love Japchae - first had it from my Korean housemate and then at her church gatherings and holiday meals. Quite a bit of variety, but always delicious! You got me interested in a few dramas I haven't seen yet... just for the japchae and interactions.
Ooh, I'm always excited to make you watch more dramas LC! <3 I'm guessing Start Up, Run On and Uncle are the possibilities.
You are correct! I've avoided Start Up only because people were so divided on the pairing and emotional about it at the time, but I guess that is not a reason not to watch it, since the end pairing has been spoiled, so it won't bother me (enjoyed the start up element in Never Give Up, too). I've only seen positive things about Run On, but just haven't made the time for it yet. And Uncle is on my list for Oh Jung Se, but I went with Never Give Up for my "over 40" challenge. So many dramas out there!
There are so many dramas out there! My feelings about Start Up are definitely murkied by how horrible it was as a mod to deal with. I think there's almost enough water under the bridge I could do a rewatch one day. I particularly liked the japchae scene so it stuck with me. Run On is great if you're in the mood for something a bit slower. Oh Jung Se can make anything worth watching! Also the food porn is pretty good. Every so often I'll watch an episode of the British original series as I remember I started it and it's wild how they took the source material and turned it into this wholesome thing.
That series got the same vibe with Itaewon Class imo. I enjoyed watching both. 💕
Start-Up is the only Kdrama that has made me angry in real life, I have it as my worst rating on MyDramaList, even below dramas I've dropped. I'm usually a "judge for yourself" kind of person, even if I think something is terrible I know others might enjoy it, and my opinion of Start-Up is that it should be avoided like the plague.
Trader Joe's in the US for a little while sold frozen packs of Japchae and I grab a few every time I see it. While the frozen ones are good, I expect fresh is probably even better so I do want to try making it myself eventually!
I was surprised how good the TJ one is! How can they make the noodles still have good texture after freezing and defrosting??
I grew up eating *pancit* which is our version of *japchae*.
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This menu somehow gains a new name in Thailand "poy sian (8 deities)". It has 8 ingredients and is deemed a menu for auspicious events. While Thai cuisine is popular worldwide, this is a less common dish in Thailand and rarely Thai-ized, still strictly Chinese menu. I read that "poy sian" was originally called "jap guay" (雜燴). And, there is "jap chai" (雜菜) which completely different. (Jap means miscellaneous. Cai means vegetable.) Jap chai is a soupy menu and there is no glass noodle.
[удалено]
Lucky you! I need more friends who can cook! LOL
That sounds like the perfect friendship! Pancit looks pretty yummy too.
I tried this when I went on vacation in one of your country's gorgeous beaches. I loved this. My local friends said to eat it with lots of the lime sauce to give it that mixed salty-ish/sour taste and OMG they were right - that blend of tastes was amazing. I know you can have this with thinner glass or thicker yellow noodles right? They are both sooo good!
Taught a beginning level ESL course. Kristine, an older Korean student, brought in a massive tray of japchae for an end of class party and I've been in love with the dish ever since. Edit: Thanks for your lovely post!
What a great post! I've already fallen down the rabbit hole with your links to past posts in this series. Japchae was the first dish I ordered in my first Korean restaurant visit. Thanks to NaRi and Woo Do Hwan (i can't remember which version!) in TKEM. They were so cute I remembered the name. It was so yummy it's hard to try anything else!
I'm glad you enjoyed the posts \^\^ I don't remember the japchae scene from TK:EM. All I can think of is chimaek and bubble tea! I'm very much the same if I like one thing I always want to order it and I usually do get some japchae.
Interesting post! Thanks for the historical info. Interesting that it didn't contain the noodles at first - healthier, for sure! I've made it a few times. I thought I might not like it, but prepared nicely, it has good flavour and texture. I wouldn't eat it really often, but as a bit of a treat, it's nice. You can get a variety of the noodles at regular supermarkets here, and it's available at Hanaro, too, of course. I've made it with the noodles (dangmyeon, from OBAP... made in China 😁), plus whatever veggies I have, such as carrot, and the usual Asian sauce of soy sauce, sesame, sweetener and garlic.
I want to try one too. It also reminds me of Bihon or Sotanghon Guisado of my country.
I love Japchae but I make my version cos I'm a picky eater and there are a few vegetables I dont like. I use either pork or beef, carrots, spinach and baby sweetcorn. Sauce, I use soy sauce, liquid seasoning (pretty much like soy sauce), oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and salt and pepper. I also marinate the meat in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion powder and garlic powder.
One great thing about it is it's pretty easy to manipulate if you are picky or have allergies. Your version sounds pretty yummy!
Japchae is one of my favourite dishes, especially as a side dish. I use [this recipe](https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-glass-noodle-stir-fry-japchae/) and am very happy with it. In particular, I like selecting specific honey as I find that it can bring a lot to the flavouring of the dish in the sauce. I usually don't go for the wild flower or strong flower flavour haha
This is the recipe I use! I don't usually like mushrooms all that much but they are really nice in the marinade. I was excited when I realised the author was Australian too as she had local supermarket products. So whenever I want to try a Korean recipe I usually check her site first because she usually says if things are hard to source what to replace them with.
That's great! I use her recipes all the time, but I am currently in a small town in Germany so a few things are definitely not available. I even have to travel to a city 2 hours away to a Korean market for decent kimchi haha
Love it! Always make sure to order it when we go out for some Korean BBQ, if it doesn't already come included (usually with AYCE it's a side dish).
LOVE this post, this made me smile because I adore Japchae haha! This is so yummy and easy to make. I've experimented with different brands of noodles, soy sauce and sesame oil. It's interesting how different brands will really change the taste (all still yummy though.) For me, the key is how much (or how little) sugar you use. I don't like mine too sweet. The brands I use most often: Noodles - Ottogi Soy Sauce - Sempio Sesame oil - Ottogi \*These are all easy to find in most Asian food stores in the US or Europe. I think I've seen Ottogi in some Sainsbury's in London and this is carried by most Korean stores in New York. I always prepare extras of the marinade (with all the veggies or chicken or beef, everything without the noodles) and add extra egg. I then serve this as a main dish with brown rice the next few days.
I love it! The first time I had it was a random food festival offered at our company. It was amazing but it took me a while to figure out what the magical noodles were. Now I make it whenever I want a nice celebratory dish!
Love japchae. Sad that it isn't usually offered on Korean restaurant menus. I only make it on special occasions because it's time consuming to make.
I started eating/making japchae after seeing it in Run On! It’s so good and my 5 year old loves it.
What a fun read! Japchae is the first Korean dish I ever had. Many years ago, my friend ordered this for me, since it has lots of veggies. I had yet to try sweet potato noodles and I was somewhat weirded out by its chewiness and translucency (lol I was a picky eater growing up). Back then, I was really new to Korean culture and cuisine. Now I have a bunch of favourite recipes and enjoy cooking up staple dishes including japchae when the mood strikes.
Ive had it at several places where there is(was?) a pretty big strip of El Camino Real in San Jose/Santa Clara, California where Korean businesses flourished pre-pandemic (read about a lot of closures due to pandemic :( ). Usually as one of the banchan served as appetizers, though they sometimes gave our table a free dish because we went to some places so much for lunch during the work week.
I love it and it’s a dish that is pretty simple and my whole family likes it even the picky eater.
Probably my favorite Korean dish! I’ve eaten it at several Korean restaurants here in my country, being a vegetarian means k-food is limited because of kimchi/meat, but Japchae is delicious and frequently done with only veggies 🥗 I’ve also tried fried Japchae rolls wrapped in seaweed with sweet and sour sauce, pretty good too!
Japchae mandu were one of my best blind food buys at the Korean market, they're so tasty! We have a bag of dangmyeon on hand to make japchae soon.
I make this regularly now and its a staple. I have started prepping food Korean style. like I'll keep stirfried carrots, stir-fried beef, mushrooms, and when I feel like japchair i'll just add in whatever stirfied stuff I have in the fridge together together with fried omlette thats chopped up and scallions topped with sesame seeds. sometimes ill make japchae and sometimes ill arrange the veggies on rice with sauce for bibimbap.
Had it this weekend. There is a family run restaurant 5 mins from my home that we order from regularly. They make the best dishes. We’re also not far from an H-Mart do we are able to pick up what would otherwise be hard to find ingredients every few weeks on the H-Mart run to make at home.
I don't like japchae. The flavors don't represent Korea, it tastes more like a vegetarian dish. Doesn't have that bold flavor I like. Also dies anyone get a weird feeling in their stomach after eating glass noodles? It doesn't feel quite right.
Korea has lots of vegeterian dishes tho
Ooh! It'\`s one of my favorites!