Name: Japchae (Glass Noodles with Vegetables and Beef)
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 220 g sweet potato starch glass noodles (dangmyeon) (from an Asian grocery); 250 g beef rump or sirloin, cut into thin strips; 1 tbsp soy sauce (for the beef); 1 tbsp sugar (for the beef); 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (for the beef); 1 clove garlic, finely chopped (for the beef); 1 onion, thinly sliced; 1 carrot, cut into fine strips; 0.5 red pepper, cut into fine strips; 150 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced; 200 g fresh spinach leaves; 2 eggs, beaten; 3 tbsp neutral oil (for frying); 1 pinch salt (for the onion and mushrooms); 5 tbsp soy sauce (for the noodles); 3 tbsp sugar (for the noodles); 1.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil (for the noodles); 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (for the noodles); freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted (to sprinkle)

Preparation

Mix the beef with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic of the marinade and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare the onion, carrot, pepper and mushrooms. Put a large pot of water on for the spinach and noodles.
Cook the eggs in a frying pan with a little oil over medium heat in a thin layer, turn once and finish cooking. Let cool on a board and cut into fine strips.
Fry the vegetables one after another, separately, in the same pan with a little oil each so every kind keeps its colour: first the onion with a pinch of salt, then the mushrooms with a pinch of salt, then the carrot, finally the pepper. Put each onto a large platter.
Fry the marinated beef in the pan until cooked through and the liquid has evaporated, and add it to the vegetables.
Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, plunge into iced water, squeeze out well and add to the platter.
Cook the glass noodles in the same water according to the packet instructions (usually 6 to 10 minutes), drain and cut into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors.
Stir the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper into the sauce until the sugar dissolves. Toss the warm noodles with the sauce first so they soak it up.
Mix in the vegetables, spinach and beef, fold in half of the egg strips and some sesame. Arrange on a platter with the remaining egg strips and sesame and serve warm or at room temperature.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Riesling feinherb (off-dry)
A touch of residual sweetness mirrors the sweet soy-sesame sauce, and the acidity freshens up the vegetables and sesame oil.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai, at room temperature or lightly warmed
The rice body of a junmai carries the soy sauce, sesame oil and the umami of the shiitake without overpowering the delicate noodles.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Red wine · good match
Pinot Noir, lightly chilled
Low tannin and red fruit suit the sweetly marinated beef and the earthy shiitake.
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager, ice cold
Carbonation and light bitterness lift the sesame oil from the palate and keep the sweetness of the sauce in check.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Vodka · good match
Ice cold, neat in small sips, in place of soju
The clear cold cuts through the sesame oil and sweet soy sauce, much like the soju drunk with it in Korea.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails

Why it pairs well

Vodka stands in for the soju that is drunk with it in Korea.

Preparation

Mix the beef with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and garlic of the marinade and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Prepare the onion, carrot, pepper and mushrooms. Put a large pot of water on for the spinach and noodles.
Cook the eggs in a frying pan with a little oil over medium heat in a thin layer, turn once and finish cooking. Let cool on a board and cut into fine strips.
Fry the vegetables one after another, separately, in the same pan with a little oil each so every kind keeps its colour: first the onion with a pinch of salt, then the mushrooms with a pinch of salt, then the carrot, finally the pepper. Put each onto a large platter.
Fry the marinated beef in the pan until cooked through and the liquid has evaporated, and add it to the vegetables.
Blanch the spinach in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds, plunge into iced water, squeeze out well and add to the platter.
Cook the glass noodles in the same water according to the packet instructions (usually 6 to 10 minutes), drain and cut into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors.
Stir the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper into the sauce until the sugar dissolves. Toss the warm noodles with the sauce first so they soak it up.
Mix in the vegetables, spinach and beef, fold in half of the egg strips and some sesame. Arrange on a platter with the remaining egg strips and sesame and serve warm or at room temperature.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Riesling feinherb (off-dry)
A touch of residual sweetness mirrors the sweet soy-sesame sauce, and the acidity freshens up the vegetables and sesame oil.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Junmai sake · excellent match
Junmai, at room temperature or lightly warmed
The rice body of a junmai carries the soy sauce, sesame oil and the umami of the shiitake without overpowering the delicate noodles.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?
Red wine · good match
Pinot Noir, lightly chilled
Low tannin and red fruit suit the sweetly marinated beef and the earthy shiitake.
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager, ice cold
Carbonation and light bitterness lift the sesame oil from the palate and keep the sweetness of the sauce in check.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
Vodka · good match
Ice cold, neat in small sips, in place of soju
The clear cold cuts through the sesame oil and sweet soy sauce, much like the soju drunk with it in Korea.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails

Why it pairs well

Vodka stands in for the soju that is drunk with it in Korea.

Japchae (Glass Noodles with Vegetables and Beef)

Preparation

Drink with it

Riesling feinherb (off-dry)

Junmai, at room temperature or lightly warmed

Pinot Noir, lightly chilled

Pale lager, ice cold

Ice cold, neat in small sips, in place of soju

This pairs well too.

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Maple Soy Salmon

Oven-Baked Miso Salmon

Salmon Poke Bowl

Japchae (Glass Noodles with Vegetables and Beef)

Preparation

Drink with it

Riesling feinherb (off-dry)

Junmai, at room temperature or lightly warmed

Pinot Noir, lightly chilled

Pale lager, ice cold

Ice cold, neat in small sips, in place of soju

This pairs well too.

Bread Dumplings with Chanterelle Sauce (Semmelknödel mit Eierschwammerlsoße)

Maple Soy Salmon

Oven-Baked Miso Salmon

Salmon Poke Bowl