Jap Chae (Korean Stir Fried Sweet Potato Noodles With Vegetables/잡채)

Have you ever had Korean Food ? I love Korean Food, sooooo tasty - mmm. I had a huge craving for Jap Chae, so I made it for tonight's dinner. My Nai Nai is obsessed with Korean Dramas, so I have asked her and Rachael (Damian's eldest sister) over for Dinner. Nai Nai loves everything about Korea, their food, their music and the Korean drama actors. It's so cute, if she could, she would convert into a Korean human being.

If you happen to be a Vegetarian or have one in your Family (that is meant for you, my dear friend Sharon!), you could omit the beef. Sometimes, I cook it without the meat as I would have Korean Short Ribs with it. To die for ....... give it a try, you won't regret it.

Jap Chae (Korean Stir Fried Sweet Potato Noodles With Vegetables/잡채), adjusted & adapted by Maangchi

Ingredients:
•Sweet Potato noodles (“dangmyun”)
•200 - 250 grams of thinly sliced shabu shabu beef
•1 bag of baby spinach
•1 medium size carrot + zucchini
•1 medium size sweet onion
•mushrooms (5 - 8 dried shitake and 1 package of white mushrooms)
•3 - 5 cloves of garlic
•7-8 green onions
•soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and sesame seeds

Prepare your ingredients before stir frying:
1.Soak 5 - 8 dried shitake mushrooms in warm water for a few hours until they become soft. Squeeze the water out of them and slice thinly.
2.Slice a package of white mushrooms (2 cups’ worth).
3.Cut a carrot and zucchini into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.
4.Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.
5.Slice one onion thinly.
6.Cut your sliced shabu shabu beef into 3 -4 portions.

Now let’s start!
1.Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
2.Cut the noodles several times by using scissors and add 1 tbs of soy sauce and 1 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside.
*tip: Take one sample and taste it to see whether or not it’s cooked properly. If it feels soft, it’s finished.
3.In the boiling water, add a bag of baby spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water. Remove any grit or dead leaves thoroughly while rinsing. Squeeze it gently to get the water out, then cut it into 5 cm pieces.
4.Add ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl.
*tip: When you drain the hot water from the pot, don’t discard the hot water. Put it back into the pot so you can cook your spinach quickly.
5.On a heated pan, put a few drops of olive oil and your carrot and zucchini strips and stir it with a spatula for 30 seconds. Put it into the large bowl (don’t burn it!).
6.Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots.
7.Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl.
8.Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl.
9.Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 - 5 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tbs soy sauce and ½ tbs sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.
10.Add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 3 tbs of sugar, 2 tbs of sesame oil, and 1 ts of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, then sprinkle 1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds on the top.
11.Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a main dish.