Jaepchae in a rice cooker

Japchae is very well known among Korean foods. All most everybody loves it. However the preparation of cutting vegetables and stir-frying every ingredient is too much work for most people. Here I tell you the recipe for a quick and easy way to prepare Japchae. You have to have a rice cooker.

Jaepchae in a rice cooker

(Serves 2~4)

200g Dangmyeon (potato starch noodle), 2~4 blocks of frozen spinach en branche, 100g of shredded carrots, 4~5 each Judas ear mushroom, one~two onions

Seasoning: 100ml water, 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil 4 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 2 Tbsp sesame oil, sesame grains, pepper (optional)

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried Damgmyeon and the dried mushroom in a container filled with water. Make sure everything is well in the water. Keep them in 20 minutes. Drain them.

2. Cut the onions in julienne.

Cooking:

1. In a rice cooker, layer first the mushrooms, second the noodles cut in half length wise second, third the frozen spinach, fourth the onions and last the carrots.

2. Pour the seasoning into the rice cooker over the ingredients.

3. Turn on the rice cooker in “cooking mode” for 20 minutes

4. Turn off the “cooking mode” and turn on “keep warm mode” for 10 minutes.

5. Turn off the machine. Take the inner pot out. Mix well with hands in plastic cloves, fork or long chipsticks.

6. Season with additional soy sauce and sesame sauce according to your taste.

7. Set 5~10 minutes before serving.

Tips:

Keep the soaking time and cooking time strictly.

Just after cooking, the noodles are stick together. You separate them well and mix with other vegetable ingredients.

This recipe is not recommendable for a big portion.

Pat juk, Red bean porridge

Winter solstice is the day of a year when the day is the shortest and the night is the longest. In Korea people prepare Pat juk, red bean porridge, to eat together with family because the red colour of Pat juk is believed to chase the bad sprits away. Sometimes people even splash Pat juk in the house. Such superstition is no more a common practice but people still enjoy the food. Prepared red bean is added to rice porridge then small rice balls are often added.

 

Doenjang Vegetable mix with barley

Doenjang is a fermented paste regularly used in Korean cuisine. It is made from soy beans which undergo a long process of fermentation. The most common use of Doenjang is to make Jjigae (stew). Instead of a soupy dish, I make a mix with doenjang and vegetables to serve on barley. This dish reduces the salt intake and increase the nutritional value thanks to more vegetables.

 

Jaepchae with bell peppers

Japchae is prepared with sweet potato noodles and stir-fried vegetables. Japchae is a beloved dish almost always present for holidays, birthday parties and traditional ceremonies. This time I prepare Japchae with colourful bell peppers, which is a popular recipe in Korea these days.