Vegetarian Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)

Name: Vegetarian Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 8 ounces sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), see notes above; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 3 – 5 cloves garlic minced; fresh cracked pepper to taste; 12 – 16 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced, see notes above; 1 large onion, sliced; 1 to 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced, see notes above; 4 to 6 scallions cut into 2.5-inch pieces; 1/4 cup olive oil; kosher salt to taste; 8 ounces baby spinach; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; hot sauce, such as Sriracha, if you wish

Instructions

Prep:40minCook:10min

Japchae is a Korean dish made from dangmyeon noodles (sweet potato starch noodles) which are also known as "glass noodles" for their translucent appearance. The recipe below is a vegetarian (vegan actually) version of the recipe in Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking. I've not only omitted the meat, but also the wood-ear mushrooms, because Maangchi listed them as optional. Know that you can adapt this recipe in countless ways: with meat or without, with mushrooms or without, with any number of vegetables you like. The only hard-to-find ingredient here is the dangmyeon. I found a very reasonably priced large bag at the Asian market in Albany, and I would imagine most Asian grocery stores would carrying them. You can also order online: Dangmyeon (Sweet Potato Starch) Noodles. I have Carrots: I like to use my mandoline for this, but a knife works just as well. Mushrooms: A mix of mushrooms is nice: shiitake, oyster, maitake, enoki, crimini.

Updated at: Thu, 25 Dec 2025 00:34:09 GMT