In honor of AAPI Month, I am making Asian dishes that I have never made before. It seemed only appropriate that I start with my heritage, Korean.
Japchae, or stir-fried glass noodles, is typically an appetizer and sometimes a side dish (a.k.a. banchan). A light dish with plenty of veggies, it always makes me feel like I’m eating healthier. Believe it or not, I used to hate japchae. Whenever my mom would make it, I would groan and complain. Now, as an adult, I have immense appreciation for the dish and enjoy its occasional appearance.
Unlike some chefs who cook recipes passed down through generations, I never learned a recipe from my mom or grandmothers. My mom didn’t particularly enjoy cooking, which is fair when you have the responsibility of feeding 4 mouths and all with different tastes and preferences. Unfortunately, this meant that I had to start from scratch with a lot of my cooking, especially Korean cooking.
For today’s dish, I followed the recipe by Korean Bapsang. It was fairly simple, although maybe a little tedious with having to cook each component separately. I did appreciate that the cookware was limited to one pan and one pot.
I may have been too light with the sauce because it wasn’t the most flavorful at the start, but I ended up liking the aftertaste more, which I commented to Kyle. I definitely recommend this more as an appetizer or starter (making a big batch can be great for a gathering or potluck) since I didn’t find it to be quite as filling for dinner.