Beef Japchae with Sweet Potato Noodles

Ingredients

• 200 g dried Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), preferably thin round strands
• 200 g beef sirloin, sliced across the grain into thin strips
• 150 g fresh spinach, washed
• 1 medium carrot, about 100 g, cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 small onion, about 150 g, thinly sliced
• 100 g fresh shiitake mushrooms, tough stems removed and caps thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons regular Korean or Japanese soy sauce, not soup soy sauce or dark soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Water for boiling, plus 2 tablespoons for loosening the noodles if needed

Method

1. Finish the cutting before the stove

   Prepare the carrot, onion, mushrooms and spinach. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper in a bowl until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Slice the beef on a separate board, refrigerate it until its turn, and clean hands, knife and surfaces after raw meat contact. Keep the sauce separate from the raw beef.

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2. Boil the dangmyeon

   Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to their package until flexible and cooked through, stirring so strands separate. Drain and rinse briefly under cool running water. Drain well, snip into manageable lengths with clean scissors and toss in the mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce. Turn off the burner.

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3. Wilt and drain the spinach

   Bring fresh water to a boil in the same saucepan. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Drain, rinse briefly with cold water and, once safe to handle, squeeze out excess water with clean hands. Roughly chop and keep in the colander. Turn off this burner; the remaining cooking uses the skillet.

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4. Cook the beef on its own

   Warm 2 teaspoons neutral oil in the skillet over medium-high heat, without smoking. Add the beef in one uncrowded layer, using batches if needed. Turn and stir until cooked, checking the thickest strips with a thin-tip thermometer inserted from the side for at least 145°F (63°C). Transfer to a clean plate, leaving raw-meat utensils aside for washing. Turn off the burner.

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5. Rest the cooked beef

   Let the beef rest on its clean plate for at least 3 minutes after it reaches 145°F (63°C). Keep the skillet burner off during this rest.

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6. Give the vegetables room

   Warm another 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet over medium heat. Stir-fry the carrot and onion until tender but not limp, then move them to the noodle bowl. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the mushrooms to the skillet. Cook until softened and their released moisture has mostly evaporated. Add the drained spinach and stir to warm it through.

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7. Bring the strands and vegetables together

   Add the noodles, carrot, onion, cooked beef and remaining sauce to the skillet. Toss gently over medium-low heat until the noodles are hot and evenly coated. If they stick in a tight clump, add the reserved 2 tablespoons water a little at a time and loosen with tongs; do not pull hard enough to break them. Work in two batches if the skillet is crowded.

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8. Finish with sesame

   Turn off the burner. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and transfer to a serving dish. Serve promptly while the noodles are warm and supple.

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