Japchae

 

I don't tackle too many Korean foods in my own kitchen, because most of the time I don't know what I'm doing and restaurants are so accessible and affordable. But, japchae is my favorite Korean comfort food (actually, it's Chinese-fusion) and it's one that I've started making myself. The glass noodles are made from sweet potato starch - but taste nothing like sweet potatoes - and I've heard you can find them in Asian supermarkets in the States. Rice noodles would also taste fine; regular vermicelli, no. I always make it with onions, garlic, spinach, mushrooms and carrot, and I like to add bell peppers and finely chopped pork/beef/tofu if I have any on hand. This is the recipe I've been loosely following: http://www.chow.com/recipes/30269-japchae-korean-stir-fried-sweet-potato-noodles. I make it with extra vegetables, a little extra sauce, cut the sesame oil with a little canola oil, and add some garlic powder and sesame seeds at the end.