Main ingredients 🥩
Glass noodlesOnionShiitake mushroomsCarrotSpinachPorkColaSoy sauceGarlicOyster sauceBeef bouillon powderMSGSesame oilSesame seeds
Ttukdak Hyung's One-Pan Japchae
A super simple japchae recipe where you add meat, vegetables, and glass noodles sequentially in one frying pan without the hassle of stir-frying ingredients separately, using cola to achieve a delicious, non-soggy brown color.
🙋 Recommended for
- ⭐ Those who were intimidated by the process and cleanup of stir-frying numerous ingredients separately for japchae.
- ⭐ Those who want to make japchae where the noodles remain glossy and don't get soggy or break, even after time has passed.
- ⭐ Those who want to cleverly use up leftover cola in their refrigerator for cooking.
Ingredients needed 🛒2 servings
- 2 handfuls cut glass noodles (approx. 160g)
- 1/2 medium onion
- Shiitake mushrooms, appropriate amount
- Carrot, appropriate amount
- Spinach, appropriate amount
- Pork loin for japchae, appropriate amount
- A little cooking oil
- A little salt
- A little pepper
- Appropriate amount of water
- Appropriate amount of cola
- Appropriate amount of soy sauce
- Appropriate amount of sugar
- Appropriate amount of minced garlic
- Appropriate amount of oyster sauce
- Appropriate amount of beef bouillon powder
- A little MSG (optional)
- 1/2 spoon dark soy sauce (optional, for deep color)
- Generous amount of sesame oil
- Generous amount of sesame seeds
Recipe 🍳
- Before starting to cook, soak the two handfuls of cut glass noodles in lukewarm water (summer tap water temperature) until fully softened.
- Thinly slice the onion and carrot. Lightly wipe the shiitake mushrooms with a paper towel, remove the stems, and slice them. Trim the root ends of the spinach with scissors.
- Lightly oil a heated pan and add the pork loin for japchae. Season with a little salt and pepper and stir-fry until golden brown.
- Once the meat is well-cooked, add the specified amount of water and cola, then add soy sauce, sugar, minced garlic, oyster sauce, beef bouillon powder, and MSG (optional) in order and bring to a boil. (If you want a deeper, richer brown color, add a little dark soy sauce.)
- When the sauce begins to boil vigorously, add the sliced carrots, onions, and shiitake mushrooms all at once. Then, add the pre-soaked glass noodles.
- Maintain high heat and stir continuously with chopsticks to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Stir-fry rapidly until the sauce moisture completely evaporates.
- Once the sauce has fully absorbed and the moisture is gone, immediately turn off the heat. Push the prepared raw spinach under the hot noodles to wilt it with residual heat, keeping it crisp.
- Immediately transfer the finished japchae to a cool, wide bowl to prevent residual heat. Drizzle generously with sesame oil and sesame seeds, then toss well to coat the noodles smoothly.
- Soak glass noodles in lukewarm water, slice vegetables, and trim spinach roots.
- Stir-fry meat in a pan, then boil cola, water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Add vegetables and noodles, then stir-fry over high heat until the liquid evaporates.
- Once fully reduced, turn off the heat, push spinach under noodles to cook, then transfer to a bowl and toss with sesame oil and seeds.
Cooking tips 💡
- Cola not only gives japchae an appetizing dark soy sauce color but is also an excellent cheat ingredient that perfectly eliminates the gamey smell of meat and enhances a subtle, savory sweetness.
- If you leave the cooked japchae in the hot pan, the starch from the noodles will release, causing them to become sticky and clump easily. Therefore, after cooking, you must transfer it to a wide, cool dish and coat with sesame oil to prevent it from becoming soggy, even the next day.
- The proper way to handle fresh shiitake mushrooms is to lightly brush off dust with a paper towel instead of washing them with water, as washing can cause their delicious aroma and nutrients to be absorbed by the water and lost.