ramyaramesh3007These stir-fried sweet potato noodles are packed with veggies, tofu strips and a beautiful sesame-soy sauce with a tinge of heat from gochugaru!
For some reason, everyone loves Japchae and I guess what’s not to love? A light and fragrant noodle dish that is also healthy and balanced really would be the star of the show at a potluck. The noodles are jelly-like, chewy, and slippery, packed with vegetables, mushrooms and pan-fried tofu strips. The sauce is also surprisingly simple yet delicious!
Traditionally, this dish is not cooked on a pan but rather separately ingredient by ingredient and then the noodles are tossed in together with the sauce. In this recipe, we aim to stir fry them all in one pan to reduce time taken but also taking into consideration the cooking times of the vegetables. For example, we add baby spinach the last as it cooks really fast!
Korean sweet potato noodles are also known as dangmyeon – and they are delicious! They can be found in asian convenience stores or you can search them up on Amazon. They come in a big pack and can make about 10 servings (which I’m guessing you will because this dish is irresistable!).
Traditional japchae includes meat like thin strips of beef or pork so we’re substituting it with tofu. You can also use most plant-based substitutes or other whole food options like tempeh or seitan.
Ingredients You Need
- sweet potato noodles – these bouncy noodles are jelly like and take just about 5 minutes to boil. Drain and rinse them in cold water to avoid sticking to one another.
- aromatics – I used red onions in this recipe but you can use white onions too. I also sliced some garlic.
- vegetables – carrots, red bell peppers, shitake and oyster mushrooms, baby spinach and scallions
- protein – extra firm tofu cut into strips and pan fried in olive oil
- sauce – light soy sauce, sesame oil, coconut sugar and for a little spice (gochugaru)
Vegan Korean Japchae
Ingredients
- 100 g sweet potato noodles
- 1 red onion or 1/2 white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup shitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup oyster mushrooms thinly sliced
- 150 g extra firm tofu cut into thin strips
- olive oil for frying
Sauce
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp gochugaru more if you want more spice
Garnish
- toasted sesame seeds
- kimchi mandu
Instructions
- Boil sweet potato noodles according to package instructions. Cut tofu into strips and pan fry them in olive oil.
- Mix the ingredients required for the sauce.
- Cut all vegetables into thin strips, including onions. You can slice the garlic or substitute it with 1 tsp minced garlic.
- In a pan, add some olive oil. Saute onions for 2 minutes, then add garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add in carrots, red bell peppers, mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. Saute for 3-4 minutes until they are vibrant. Add in scallions.
- Add pan fried tofu, noodles and the sauce. Mix well. Add baby spinach and mix until it's fully wilted (soft and bright green).
- Taste and add more soy sauce if needed.
- Serve with toasted sesame seeds and pan-fried korean mandu (dumplings). Add more chili sesame oil if you prefer. Enjoy!