Vegan Japchae Recipe

This vegan japchae recipe is super delicious, nutritious, and easy to make. It is made with sweet potato glass noodles and savory stir-fried vegetables without meat. It is gluten-free, low-carbohydrate, low-calorie, and dairy-free and it is a satisfying and budget-friendly recipe.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• This is a vegan and vegetarian chap chae recipe and does not contain any meat in it, but you can easily add some chicken, beef, or pork to customize it easily by pre-frying some and mixing it in at the very end.
• The glass noodles that soaked up all the sweet and savory sauce are so good that you will be going to keep making them.
• This noodle recipe without meat is healthy and nutritious with lots of different colorful vegetables. The good thing about making it at home is you can customize all the vegetables and ingredients that you wanted to add.
• If you love this recipe, be sure to check more recipes like this:
  • Vegan Udon Stir-fry
  • Mushroom Vegetable Fried-Rice
  • Vegan Tofu Dumplings
  • Sticky Sweet Sesame Tofu
  • Orange Chicken Tofu

What is Japchae

Japchae is a Korean word meaning "mixed vegetables". It is very popular in Korea and around the world. Japchae has one important ingredient which is glass noodles made from sweet potatoes. Japchae is typically served as a side dish or banchan, but it can also be served with cooked rice as a main dish.

Japchae or chap chae should have a balanced sweet and savory flavor, crunchy vegetable texture, and bouncy noodle texture. Normally, japchae uses meat as a protein source, but you can also use mushrooms or tofu, or a combination of both. There are several variations of this dish, either with or without meat and choose all different kinds of vegetables according to your desire. You can find glass noodles in many Asian markets in the noodle section aisle or order online.

For traditional japchae, the springy and chewy noodles are paired with thin slices of beef or pork. But we are making it simple and with no meat in this recipe. Mushrooms are the best substitute. Crispy fried tofu is the second option.

Ingredients

• Glass noodles - This type of noodle (dangmyeon) is made from the sweet potato when cooked. It is usually sold in Asian Stores or online. Some japchae noodle substitutes are cellophane noodles (a.k.a. “glass noodles”) or Chinese vermicelli, which are similar but made with mung bean starch. or rice noodles.
• Mushrooms - This no-meat japchae uses mushrooms as a meat substitute. I use dried shitake mushrooms and seafood mushrooms. You can use another type of mushroom of course.
• Vegetables - One of the best parts of cooking your Korean vegetable noodle is using your favorite vegetables. I use bell peppers, carrots, and spinach here.
• Aromatics - Adding onion and garlic for more aroma and flavors.
• Sauces - Soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and brown sugar makes a good and yummy sauce for this recipe.

Instructions

Clean and slice your vegetables and aromatics. You can add as many vegetables as you wish. Feel free to use what you have in the fridge. I like to slice my vegetables thinly or in matchstick sizes.

• Soaking dried mushrooms. Start by soaking the dehydrated mushrooms in hot water for about 2 hours or until they rehydrate. Using boiling water will help to rehydrate these faster. While waiting for mushrooms to hydrate, prepare all the other ingredients.
• Cooking glass noodles. Boil water in a pan and cook your spinach for 30 seconds and drop in ice-cold water for 30 seconds then squeeze excess water. The blanching technique keeps the nice color and or texture of your vegetables.
• Blanching spinach. In the same boiling water, toss your glass noodles and cook until soft and chewy or about 7-10 minutes. Try to stir occasionally to avoid sticking.
• Set them aside. You can cut the spinach a few inches long and drizzle some cooking oil in glass noodles to avoid sticking together.

Preparing and stir-frying the vegetables

Stir-fry the veggies in different batches separately. This method makes this dish extra special. Start with onion and garlic, saute until fragrant then set aside. Followed by the rest of the veggies, stir fry each of them for about 1-2 minutes then take them out and set them aside. Don't worry, it won't take much time.

Making the sauce, adding the noodles and veggies together

• Make the Sauce. In the same skillet, add soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and brown sugar. Stir well until well blended and cook for a minute or until it is heated through.
• Add the cooked glass noodles. Toss the potato starch noodles and stir them with the sauce until well combined.
• Add the rest of the stir-fried vegetables. Mix everything together. Cook until everything is warm completely. About one or two minutes.
• Taste test and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Sprinkle more sesame seeds before serving.

Helpful Tips

• For the traditional japchae recipe, you have to cook all the vegetables separately for a clean taste, but in my experience, it makes it so special but does not make a lot of a difference in taste.
• While waiting for the mushrooms to rehydrate, you can soak the glass noodles in warm water for about 20 minutes instead of boiling them. This will ensure that the noodles will cook perfectly without being mushy.

Storage and reheating tips

Allow the dish to cool. Store in an air-tight glass container in the fridge for about 3-5 days. I have not tried freezing it but it will probably ok while the texture will be different. Reheat in a saucepan to medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Frequently Asked Question