Monday, March 22, 2010

Japchae with Beef Bulgogi

Japchae with Bulgogi

I think I may have been Korean in another life. Lately, I just can't get enough Korean food. I remember the first time I had japchae at a friend's birthday party many many years ago. It was so good, I could not stop eating it. I had no idea it was so easy to recreate at home otherwise I would have made it myself a long time ago. Now, it is very rare that you will see me cook with mushrooms. I just have never liked them. I'm weird, I know. However, I do appreciate a good portabello or shiitake once in a blue moon so a while back I had picked up some dried wild mushrooms at TJs. This was the perfect time to use them up. The mushrooms provide a wonderful earthiness to this dish and are really a key ingredient so if you're like me and think you don't like them, I urge you not to skip them if you try this. The meat adds a nice sweet contrast and this is full of enough vegetables to not make you feel guilty. So...what's the next Korean dish I should try?




Japchae with Beef Bulgogi
(Japchae adapted from Whisk the Pantry)



Makes 2-3 servings

Canola oil
1 medium carrot, peeled with a vegetable peeler
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1 baby bok choy, sliced
3 green onions, sliced on a bias into 1-inch pieces
Small handful dried wild mushrooms, soaked for 15-20 minutes
1/2 bunch of cellophane noodles
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Bulgogi beef

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add in the noodles. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until they have softened. Drain and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, heat a bit of oil in another large frying plan; saute onion until golden brown. Add in the carrot, bok choy, green onions and the mushrooms, stir and cook for another 5 minutes. When the vegetables have softened, add the noodles and the beef. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the soy sauce and sesame oil, stir and toss to combine.


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15 comments:

Pam said...

It looks and sounds delicious! And it is very colorful also! Yum!

Erica said...

Looks beautiful! I do not like mushrooms either! Josh and I got married in what is known in PA as "mushroom country", so our venue offered mushrooms in pretty much all dishes. We had them remove them from EVERYTHING! Not a mushroom was allowed anywhere near our guests haha. Happy Monday

Unknown said...

don't like mushrooms?!? that's ok ;) i don't know that i've ever had korean... what dish would you recommend I try first??

sarah j. gim said...

LOVE all these korean recipes that you're doing! you've gotta be more korean than i am!

MaryMoh said...

That's such an awesome Korean dish! I love it. I can never have enough of Korean food....mmmm....so delicious!

vanillasugarblog said...

that looks easy. please, stay on this kick for a while. i'm loving it.

Diana said...

I love japchae too! The first time I had it was at Gyenari and I think it was my favorite thing I ate that night -- even more than the meat!

Bravo you for using mushrooms! Baby steps. :)

Memória said...

I'm enjoying your Korean dishes, too!! I don't think I was Korean in my past life, but I know that I want to be Korean in my next life haha. This dish looks amazing.

Hungry Dog said...

Looks amazing. I made chop chae for the first time about a year ago and fell in love with it. Yours looks incredible!

Jenn said...

Delish!!! I must master the beef bulgogi first, then I can move on to different variation for it. I feel like having Korean tonight.

La Bella Cooks said...

I am enjoying this kick of yours as it is inspiring me to try more. This looks delicious as usual.

Esi said...

Erica, that's hilarious! I would have done the same thing.

Shannon, try this!! It's super easy and quick to put together.

Sarah and Dawn, I'm already thinking about the next recipe...

Antonietta said...

WOW! I want to eat this right now!! (and it is almost midnight here!)

yoursdeliciously said...

..add a side dish of kimchi and WOW!

shaz said...

I adore Korean food too, never knew japchae was this easy. Yum! And I love bulgogi, bibimbab and kimchi.

How about something with kimchi next?