Jap-Chae #2

Happy Wednesday guys!  I can't believe the awesome weather we're having!  It's been in the 60's all week and it's supposed to continue to be that way throughout the rest of the week.  Definitely going to try to get outside sometime this weekend!

I'm pretty excited because I'm getting ready to order my seeds for this year's garden.  I've got a couple new tactics to get rid of some of the "pests" without using anything harmful.  So hopefully we'll have a bigger and more successful bounty than last year!

Alright.  Jap-Chae.  It's a Korean noodle dish, that I find really resembles the Filipino Pancit.  Of course, being Filipino, I'm a little partial to pancit, but Jap-Chae is pretty delicious too.  And hell... it's just fun to say.  This is my second attempt at Jap-Chae (the first you can find here) and I think this was a little bit more successful... and prettier, of course.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Tastespotting The Blog's recipe

8 oz. vermicelli rice noodles
2 cups spinach, washed
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
3 scallions, green parts only, sliced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/8 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
black and white sesame seeds,  optional

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rice noodles until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water.  Set noodles aside in a large bowl.

Using same pot as noodles, fill back up with water and bring to a boil.  Toss in spinach and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Drain and squeeze out any liquid.  Place spinach on paper-towel lined bowl to soak up any excess liquid. 

Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes.  Add carrots, scallions and mushrooms to pan.  Cook until everything is soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Add cooked spinach, onions, carrots, scallions and mushrooms to the large bowl with the vermicelli noodles.  Drizzle sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and salt over noodles.  Toss everything in the bowl together with tongs or you can get primal with it and use your hands.

Sprinkle with white and black sesame seeds to garnish.

This was a pretty tasty meal and a better version than my first, that's for sure!  It's perfect because it can be served at room temperature or cold, so leftovers are definitely ideal!  And hey, we didn't even miss the meat!





And by the way, Nutella Cupcakes won last Friday's poll so be on the lookout for those to come up soon!  Enjoy your Wednesday guys!

Korean Japchae

I know what you're thinking... Jap-what? Japchae. Kind of like a Korean version of Filipino pancit (which I'm still partial to). Andy described it as a taste he's never experienced before... good or bad, I took it as a compliment.

On a side note, another late post and I apologize. Middle of the weeks have been rough. Too many tests crammed in there, but I promise, I'm still lighting up that kitchen! Just a couple more weeks and spring break will be here and I'll be Savannah, Georgia bound... any recommendations of things to do down there for anybody that's been?

Ingredients:

1 rib-eye steak, thinly sliced and most fat removed
1 bunch spinach
2 carrots, julienned
5 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced
handful of green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 package vermicelli rice noodles
1/8 cup seasoned rice vinegar

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add rice noodles. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, then drain and place in large bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Mix well.

Wash the spinach and blanch for about 1-2 minutes. Drain well and mix in with noodles.

In a large skillet under medium high heat, add about 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and stir-fry the carrots, onions, and garlic. Add that mixture to the noodles.

Add beef and mushrooms to same skillet and cook until beef is done. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Stir in the green onions and add mixture to noodles.

Finally, add in remaining soy sauce and sugar, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Mix well and serve!

Like I said, I'm still partial to the Filipino pancit after eating this dish. It was tasty.... different... but tasty nonetheless. Enjoy!