Jap-chae: Korean Stir-fried Noodles and Veggies

All you really need to know about Korean cooking can be learned from one woman...that is Maangchi. She is my number one go-to regarding Korean foods since she is a) Korean, b) quarky and c) speaks English. Additionally, she not only posts recipes for dishes with lots of pictures, but almost always includes a video, which is just nice...perhaps someday I'll go live on YouTube with my cooking skills! (HA!)

One of my all-time-favorite Korean dishes is Japchae. The dish is made with sweet potato (also called starch or glass noodles), a ton of veggies and a simple sauce of soy sauce and sesame seeds.

There's a ton of veggies in this dish and the meat called for can easily be substituted or simply left out for a more vegetarian friendly option.

I realize the polite thing to do would be to re-iterate the recipe here, but I really, REALLY want you to meet Maangchi, because she's a blast, so here's the japchae recipe and a bit of Maangchi herself!

Sesame Leaves

I just want to show off my husband's 'green thumb'/aquaponics skills. He grew these sesame leaves. So I made some more leaf sandwiches to serve with the peanut butter noodles.

That's all.

Double Bean Burritos

Often at '519 Kitchen' there is a last ditch effort to use up a handful of ingredients prior to their turning sour, smelly, slimy, or otherwise unsightly. This weekend was no different as a ziploc of beans sat anticipating usage next to a package of mushrooms, garlic, and sesame leaves and 'marinated' beef from the infamous Sesame Leaf Beef Sandwiches. So it was, on Saturday, February 19th I threw a random assortment of ingredients into a pot, heated them up, spread them onto a flour tortilla, toasted them in a skillet and served them up to the man I love and my own growling belly.

Ingredients and Directions:

Throw into a saucepan 3-4 cups of beans (I had on hand black beans and black-eyed peas). Add salsa, about one cup or so, diced mushrooms, minced garlic, broth or tea (just enough to prevent burning), 2-3 roasted chilis and heat through - once heated add a handful of chopped sesame leaves. Dump into tortillas, top with cheese, wrap and toast in a warm skillet before serving them up with additional salsa on the side or as is.

Sesame Leaf and Beef 'Sandwiches'

A few bites into this dish Mike commented: "I would eat these all day."

It's a reasonable statement, they are amazing! Unfortunately, they were not purely my creation...rather, they were the result of being given more sesame leaves than I'd originally planned on grabbing at the local market, a Google search and an instinct that this recipe would find rave reviews in '519' Wookyeongbil Kitchen.

I followed the recipe as is with only a few adjustments:
2 cloves Garlic
A Squirt of Red Chili Paste/Sauce
Mix meat and additions in a ziploc bag!

If you can find sesame leaves, this recipe is well worth a shot, although the leaves tend to be an acquired taste, so perhaps give them two or three shots before giving them a final judgement.

Clam Noodle Soup

I am in the perfect situation to experiment with ingredients I've never had easy access to, and considering my love of food-centered experiments, this is the perfect situation! Within my first month of life in South Korea I picked up a package of noodles which I made assumptions about, created this dish, and knew it could have been better. Well flash foward a few months and a LOT more Korean-dining experiences later and I've just about clued into this particular noodle. Hoping I could incorporate this noodle more as it ought to be, I attempted a bit of 'fusion' cooking using ideas from a previous cooking class and my own innovations to whip up this pot of Clam Noodle Soup.

Ingredients:

A dozen Clams

Handful of Bean Sprouts

1/2 Carrot, diced

1 Leek/2 Green Onions, sliced

6 Sesame Leaves, chopped

3-4 cups Broth or Tea

Korean Noodles (could substitute spaghetti, udon, ramen)

Salt and Pepper to seasoning

Directions:

Wash clams. (I've since learned there's a lot to this process and I've far from perfected it, chime in if you have advice; here's what I've learned: scrub down clams, soak in salt water for several hours. Add cornmeal to expel grit and such - I tried oatmeal as cornmeal is a hot commodity here in the ROK, scrub again, then boil, prepare as directed. If clams do not open during boiling process they are bad. Summary of information I found here.) In pot, bring broth/tea to a boil, add rinsed and clean bean sprouts to the pot with clams, boil with lid on for about 8 minutes. If clams are opening up, add carrot, simmer for about 5 minutes until carrot is tender. Add noodles, cook until tender. (For a more accurate Korean dish, prepare noodles separately, drain of liquid serve with broth and clams spooned on top). Fill bowl with noodles first, top with broth and a few opened clams, sprinkle sesame leaves on top, season to taste with salt and pepper, enjoy!

More clam recipes and cooking directions can be found by clicking the yellow box below!

Manila Clams