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Vegetarian Japchae with Braised Eggs (Korean Sweet Potato Noodles)

This Japchae recipe is adapted with permission from Hetty McKinnon's Family. These Korean sweet potato noodles are sweet and savoury, a simple and traditional dish often served over a bed of rice to create a more substantial main meal. The texture of sweet potato noodles is elastic, bouncy and surprisingly light. These japchae noodles are given heartiness with braised eggs, which are also slightly sweet and intensely satisfying. If you can’t find Korean sweet potato glass noodles, rice vermicelli works too!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

  • 11 ounces sweet potato cellophane noodles
  • sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 1 small brown onion finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves very finely chopped
  • 1 carrot peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  • 4 shiitake mushrooms finely sliced
  • 5 ½ ounces spinach trimmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 shallots finely sliced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds white, black or both, toasted
  • salt and white pepper

Braised eggs

  • 7 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 scallion
  • 4 6 hard-boiled eggs peeled

Instructions

  • To make the braised eggs, in a small pan that will snugly fit your eggs, add the tamari, sugar, water, mirin and chopped scallion, along with ½ cup of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the hard-boiled eggs and simmer for 15 minutes, giving the pan a gentle roll around every few minutes to coat the eggs. Turn off the heat and scoop out the braising sauce – you will keep this for the noodles. Allow the eggs to cool.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the sweet potato noodles. Cook according to the packet instructions for 2–3 minutes, until the noodles are just cooked. Drain and refresh under cold running water and, using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles so the strands are shorter and easier to eat. Set aside.
  • Place a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and add a big drizzle of oil. Add the onion, garlic and carrot to the wok, season with a pinch of sea salt and toss for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 60 seconds. Next, toss in the noodles, spinach, sesame oil and about ½ cup of the reserved egg braising sauce and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the spinach is just wilted and everything is well coated in the sauce. Remove from the heat and add the shallots. Season with salt and pepper.
  • To serve, divide the japchae among plates and serve with the braised eggs on the side either halved or sliced up. Scatter over the sesame seeds.