Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles With Pork and Vegetables)

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

The chae in japchae means “finely cut,” and it refers to all the thin slivers of vegetable, egg, mushrooms, and meat that add a vibrant mix of colors, flavors, and textures to a base of springy sweet potato glass noodles. The selection of ingredients that goes into this famous noodle dish isn’t accidental: Each is chosen for a particular color it adds to the mixture, in alignment with obangsaek, an important concept in Korean aesthetics that connects specific colors with the five elements.

A good amount of prep work is required here to get all the components ready, but this is otherwise a fairly easy dish to assemble, and one that can be made in advance.

Published at Wed, 01 May 2019 10:25:38 +0000