Japchae, aka Stir-Fried Korean Glass Noodles

I had highly anticipated the return of Succession on HBOMax and had saved it for a binge-watch during the Thanksgiving weekend. Kendall Roy's coup at the end of season two had me thirsty for Logan's suffering, but it has been annoying to witness Kendall's nervous energy destroy his path to victory. Honestly, I had to pause and exhale from the latest episode. His obsession to remain relevant was bad enough... That turtleneck and gold chain necklace were outrageously ugh! And then, he tugged at my heart. 

Families can sometimes be our deadliest poison. I struggled to balance between my well-being and being a family, but recently realized that it is okay to choose me over the family. It is okay to not be okay with the family. Accepting that my existence is solely my own helped me to break away from the painful childhood that kept my spirit in a dark hole. Perhaps, my frustrations and sadness towards Kendall rise from reminders of how I thrashed to have my pain acknowledged. 

While walking the fine line between loving our families or ourselves, we often struggle to reconcile good and painful memories. Japchae is one of those that trigger both good and painful memories from my childhood. 

Except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, Japchae made an appearance at most family gatherings at home. Instead of sharing a traditional recipe made with meat, I put my own twist as a vegan dish.  Packed with flavor, this Japchae made with mushrooms will even have the most ardent red meat lovers chowing down with enthusiasm. 

INGREDIENTS

seven ounces of sweet potato glass noodles

four ounces of king trumpet mushrooms, thinly sliced

two ounces of wood ear mushrooms, thinly sliced

two carrots, julienne

a half yellow onion, thinly sliced

one tablespoon of green onions, finely chopped

one tablespoon of vegetable oil

marinate sauce INGREDIENTS for king trumpet mushrooms

two tablespoons of soy sauce

one tablespoon of mirin

two teaspoons of sesame oil

one tablespoon of sugar

one garlic clove, finely chopped

stir-fry sauce INGREDIENTS for Japchae

three tablespoons of soy sauce

one tablespoon of mirin

one tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons of sugar

Before you start on the prep work of slicing and dicing mushrooms and vegetables, soak glass noodles in water and set them aside according to the package. In a bowl, mix marinate sauce ingredients for King Trumpet mushrooms. Add mushrooms and set them aside.

Boil water in a medium-sized stockpot over high heat for the noodles. In the meantime, heat a wok over high heat and drizzle vegetable oil. Add green onions and quickly stir-fry while reducing the heat to medium. Place marinating king trumpet mushrooms into the wok. Stir-fry while adding carrots, onions, and wood ears. Turn off the heat once the king trumpets and carrots are cooked. 

Once the water starts to boil, add glass noodles to the pot and let it cook for one to two minutes or until cooked. Drain the noodles and cool them under cold running water. Once cooled and drained, drizzle sesame oil. 

Turn the heat to medium-high on the wok and add the glass noodles. Stir and mix well. Add two-thirds of the prepared stir-fry sauce, reduce the heat to medium, and mix until the noodles are coated. Taste and pour the remaining sauce if desired. And, you now have deliciously flavorful Japchae. Bon Appétit!