375 – Korean Japche (fried noodles) Recipe / المعكرونة المقلية الكورية

Ingredients :

MAIN INGREDIENTS:

• 8.8 oz (250 grams) Dangmyeon (Korean sweet potato- replacement: glass noodles)
• 1 small zucchini
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 4 shiitake mushroom

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• A pinch of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

OTHER:

• Toasted sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil

Directions :

Step 1 – Cooking the Noodles: 
1- Boil water in a sauce pan.
2- Place the Dangmyeon noodles in the boiling water and cook for 11 minutes over medium-high heat.
3- When done, drain from the water and place in a bowl. Drizzle some vegetable oil on top for the noodles not to sti
Note: If you dont have Dangmyeon noodles you can use Chinese glass noodles. Just place them in a bowl filled with boiling water and let them sit for 5 minutes until soft.

Step 2 – Preparing the Ingredients: 
1- Julienne (cut into thin sticks) the vegetables: zucchini, 1/2 onion, 1/2 carrot, 1/2 red bell pepper, and 1/2 yellow red pepper.

Step 3 – Preparing the Marinade: 
1- In a bowl mix: the soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, grated garlic.
2- Slice the mushrooms and place them in the marinade while preparing the rest of the recipe.

Step 4 – Cooking the Vegetables: 
1- Drizzle vegetable oil on a pan and heat it up on medium heat. Cook the vegetables one type at a time.
2- First, the sliced onion. Place in the pan, add a small pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes until they become translucent. Remove the onions from the pan and reserve in a bowl.
3- Now cook the carrot sticks with a small pinch of salt until they are soft (but not mushy). Remove from the pan and place reserve.
4-Cook the bell pepper sticks with a bit of salt until soft but not mushy. Remove from pan and reserve.
5- Finally, cook the zucchini sticks with a bit of salt until soft but not mushy. Reseve.
You may have to add a bit of vegetable oil in between cooking the different types of vegetables.
6- Squeeze firmly the mushrooms to get rid of juices that they have absorbs while marinating in the soy sauce mixture. Then cook the mushrooms in a pan for a few minutes until soft.
Keep the marinade as we will be using it later.

Step 5 – Final Steps: 
1- Place the cooked noodles in large pan over medium heat and add a little bit of the soy sauce marinade (used to marinate the mushrooms). Mix well.
2- Add the vegetables over the noodles. Mix well. You may have to use your hands to made sure all these ingredients are well integrated.
3- Sprinkle some toasted sesase seeds and mix with the noodles and vegetables.
4- Add the soy sauce marinade to the noodles and vegetables to your taste.
5- Serve immediately hot, or warm, or cold.
Bon appetit!