Vegan Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)

Step 1

If you are using dry shiitake mushrooms put them in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Keep the water as it will be used in the sauce.

Step 2

Prepare the marinade. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, stock or water (use the shiitake stock when using dry shiitakes) and sugar and whisk until all the ingredients are well mixed. Crush the garlic cloves and press or shred the ginger and add into the marinade.

Step 3

Cut the tofu into triangles or cubes and add into the marinade bowl. Leave the tofu marinating while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Step 4

Cook the noodles. Using a big pan, bring water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook for about 6-7 minutes and rinse with cold water. Make sure the noodles are cold to stop them from cooking further and leave aside.

Step 5

Cut the veggies. Cut the shallots in half and finely slice. Cut the top and bottom part of the spring onion, cut in half lengthwise and slice into longish strips. Peel and cut the carrot into long thin strips and cut the red pepper the same way, trying to keep all the veggies the same size. lice the shiitake mushrooms and roughly chop the spinach.

Step 6

Heat some oil in a pan (you can use sesame oil or another type of vegetable oil) and using tongs, add the tofu. It's important that the sauce is left in the bowl where the tofu has been marinating as it will be used later. Once the tofu is cooked both sides, transfer into a bowl and set aside.

Step 7

Using the same pan over medium heat, cook the veggies. First, add the shallots and spring onions. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the carrots and red peppers. Let the vegetables cook for 3-4 minutes before adding the shiitake mushrooms and keep cooking. The vegetables shouldn't be cooked for a long time as you want them to have a bit of a crunch when serving.

Step 8

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the tofu and spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted.

Step 9

Last, add the cooked noodles and the rest of the sauce. Using tongs mix well making sure all the ingredients are combined. Add some sesame seeds and serve.