Vegan Japchae – Korean Glass Noodles
One of my favorite meals is vegan japchae. I still remember the first time I had vegan japchae, it was at my Korean friend’s birthday celebration.
The sweet and savory umami taste tantalized my taste bud to another level. I could not forget the flavor from the first time I tasted it.
I had to learn to make a japchae vegan recipe from my friend.
I thought learning and making Korean dishes would be difficult and intimidating but I was proved wrong.
Thanks to my Korean friend, I am going to share a delicious, healthy, authentic, and easy-to-cook vegan japchae.
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What is Vegan Japchae?
King Gwanghaegun, the 15th king of the Joseon dynasty decreed japchae as a royal dish in the early 17th century.
The earliest version did not contain noodles at all, only stir-fried mixed vegetables. The japchae we know today with noodles and meat came about 200 years after it was created, mind-blowing isn’t it?
Recipe Japchae Korean noodles are one of the most popular dishes that Korean makes for special occasion like birthday celebration, and anniversary.
The Korean vegan japchae uses glass noodles made from sweet potatoes. It has unique bouncy textures and when eaten together with crunchy textures from all the vegetables, the taste is harmoniously blended making you want for more.
Typically, the protein of choice being used in the non-vegan japchae recipe is meat but you can change to tofu, edamame, or kale as your protein.
Ingredients Used, Substitutions, and Variations
Sweet Potato Noodles: Using other types of noodles is possible! However, the textures and tastes might slightly be different. Using sweet potato noodles or dangmyeon is better for those who are looking for gluten-free.
Use pre-cut noodles if possible. It is much easier to cook and handle, although you might need to do a few cuts after cooking.
Plant Protein: I use shiitake mushrooms and vegan eggs as a protein substitute. But you can choose other vegan proteins like tofu, temple, and edamame, the choice is yours.
What I like the most about this vegetarian japchae recipe you can “literally” dump any leftover vegetables that you have and they still taste nice.
Vegetables: For this recipe, I am using garlic, onion, carrot, and spinach. Others vegetables can work well with this recipe like bell pepper, zucchini, Japa