My First Batch of Korean Jap Chae

I finally made my first batch of Korean jap chae! I had all the ingredients in the house at one time, so I pulled the trigger and ventured onto my first attempt at making jap chae. I substituted tofu for the beef, used red bell pepper instead of green, and I omitted the tree ears. It turned out okay, except one food critic said it needed more soy sauce. I followed the recipe and measured out all the ingredients--I even weighed out 3 oz of noodles per the recipe (I never get that anal about recipes but since this was the first time I've tried to make this dish, I wanted to follow the recipe as closely as possible). I took some help from the store and used pre-shredded carrots, which was a major time-saver! This recipe serves two (or one hungry person, like me!).


Jap Chae
Vegetable, Noodle, and Steak Stir-Fry

3 oz Korean vermicelli
3 Tbs corn oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
1 carrot, cut in 3-inch julienne strips (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 lb flank or sirloin steak, sliced into strips 3 inches long and 1 inch wide
1 small green pepper, seeded, cut into 3-inch julienne strips (1 cup)
1/2 lb Chinese chives, well rinsed, cut into 3-inch lengths or 1/2 lb fresh spinach, well rinsed, stems trimmed
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Korean sesame oil
1/4 cup tree ears, soaked in warm water for 1/2 hour, drained and rinsed well

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pan. Add the vermicelli and boil over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse in cold water and set aside. The noodles are translucent when cooked, but still firm.

2. Heat the oil in a wok, add the onion, and stir-fry over moderate heat for 2 minutes.  Add the beef and continue to fry for 1 minute. Now add the carrot, green pepper, chives or spinach as you stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

3. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and tree ears. Stir-fry and toss the mixture for a minute. Fold in the vermicelli and mix well.

Serve warm.