{"id":2320,"date":"2019-02-06T23:27:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T07:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/koreanathome.wordpress.com\/?p=2320"},"modified":"2021-06-02T21:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T04:41:28","slug":"japchae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kimchimari.com\/japchae\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles) – Authentic and Amazing"},"content":{"rendered":"
Japchae is a classic Korean Glass Noodle dish that is served as a side dish or appetizer. Mild in flavor, this is a great first dish to try if you never had Korean food before. This Japchae recipe is traditional and authentic – exactly how my family made it for years, so Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Japchae is a very popular Korean glass noodle side dish that’s made with vegetables and also sometimes meat. If you have ever been to a Korean restaurant, chances are you probably have had Japchae(\uc7a1\ucc44). And if side dish was the only way you had it (as opposed to an a la carte item)- then I’m afraid you probably had a very poorly made japchae.<\/p>\n It sometimes makes me mad when I see restaurants serve this most delicious Korean glass noodle dish as a side dish that’s missing the authentic ingredients and flavor. Probably it’s 98% noodles and then maybe some little specks of vegetables once in a blue moon and no evidence of beef anywhere. Either that or it’s been reheated so many times that it has just morphed into something else.<\/p>\n Jap(\uc7a1<\/strong>\u96dc)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>means to mix and Chae(\ucc44<\/strong>\u83dc)<\/strong> means ‘vegetables’. H<\/span>istorical records go back as far as 17th century Joseon Dynasty when it\u00a0was first served to the King Kwanghaekun. Interestingly, there were no noodles in the earlier versions and the glass noodles only appeared in this dish in 1919 when a Dangmyeon \ub2f9\uba74 (Glass Noodles\/Potato Starch Noodles) factory first appeared in the Hwanghae region of Northern Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There’s a story that I’m reminded of every time I try to explain Japchae to someone.<\/p>\n You see..\u00a0my father was a diplomat and he had a very good friend who was the US Ambassador (Mr. Walker) to Korea in the early 80’s. We had dinner together at a Korean restaurant in DC one time (I think it was actually Wooraeok<\/a>), and the ambassador said that he loved Japchae (or as he called it ‘ChopChoi’) and wanted to order it.<\/p>\n And then he said “Do you know how I memorized the name of this dish?? It’s the “execute” = “chop” Mr. Chae (or choi) dish!!”\u00a0 HAHAHA..I thought it was a bit bizarre but also hilarious and very ingenious of him…\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udd23and so the story has always stuck with me ever since. BTW, the ‘chop’ \uc7a1 can be pronounced as somewhere between Job and Chop.<\/p>\n Well, I hope this will help you remember the name a little easier next time! \ud83d\ude0d<\/p>\n The Japchae recipe I introduce here is the way my mom used to make at home when I was little – for the Seollal or Chuseok holidays and big parties. I know there are different ways of making Japchae but the authentic and traditional way<\/em> to make Japchae is to saute\u00a0and season all ingredients separately<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(I know it’s kind of a pain) and then mix it all together at the end.<\/p>\nAbout Japchae \uc7a1\ucc44<\/h3>\n
My Japchae (ChopChae) Story \ud83d\ude02<\/h3>\n
What makes an Authentic Japchae<\/h2>\n