Whether making dinner on a weeknight or planning the menu for a get together, this vegan japchae will be the perfect option. It comes together quickly and is vegan and can be made gluten-free with an easy swap.
More about Japchae
Whether you are new to Korean food or have been relishing it for long, japchae is a dish that is pretty well known and synonymous with Korean cuisine. My first time trying it was more than a decade ago at a museum cafe in San Francisco. I have been in love with it ever since!
It's an eye-catching dish with silvery looking sweet potato noodles called dangmyeon and lots of colorful vegetables like carrots, bell peppers,spinach, green onions. It is very easy to make this dish vegan as well. Leave out any animal protein or instead use a plant based protein.That's what I did and decided to serve it with some air fried marinated tofu.
Why you should try out this vegan version?
- Vegan japchae is really easy to make even for a beginner! The sweet potato noodles cook quickly. We will also stir fry the vegetables for a short time and toss everything together with a quick sauce.
- Great way to eat more veggies - I love that there are so many vegetables included in the dish. If you have been wanting to include more vegetables or trying to get your kids to eat more of them, then this is the perfect vehicle 🙂
- Perfect for meal prepping - This dish is great for meal prepping which means you can have dinner ready faster! This also makes it a great choice if you are planning to make this as part of a menu when you have people over.
Ingredients needed for vegan japchae
Sweet Potato Noodles - These are noodles made from sweet potato starch.They also go by the name of glass noodles or cellophane noodles since they look like glass when cooked. I usually find them regularly at my local Costco or other local grocery stores. If you cant find them at these stores, look for them at any East Asian or Korean grocery stores like H Mart. They can also be found online at various East Asian grocery stores and Amazon.
Vegetables - We will need onions, bell peppers, carrots, green onions, shitake mushrooms, spinach. You can also use regular button or baby Bellas instead of shiitake mushrooms. Also, try using chard, kale, collard greens along with/instead of spinach.
Noodle Sauce - We will use a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, finely chopped/grated garlic and sugar.
Tofu - I decided to use tofu as the protein of my choice. For this dish, I chose extra firm tofu since I find it is more robust.
Marinade for Tofu - For the marinade, I have used soy sauce, rice vinegar and maple syrup.
Toasted Sesame Seeds - We will use this for topping before serving.
Process
When you look at all the steps listed below, it might seem very daunting and like a lot of steps. Trust me, it is easier than it looks. Just read through the steps and prep all the ingredients before you start.
Prep the vegetables - We will prep the onions, bell peppers and shiitake mushrooms by cutting them in thin long strips. Cut the carrots in to match sticks. For the greens, boil some water in the kettle or in a sauce pan. Wash the greens and blanch in hot water for 3-4 minutes. Remove carefully and place in a bowl of ice cold water. Discard the cold water and squeeze the greens to remove any excess water.
Prep the tofu - Cut the tofu in any chosen shape. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in bowl. Place the tofu pieces and mix well to ensure all the tofu pieces are coated completely. Let this sit for 15 minutes.
Place the tofu in the air fryer and air fry for 16-18 minutes at 400 deg F. Make sure you are flipping them mid point in the cooking process. You can also bake them in the oven at 400 deg F for 20-22 minutes.
Prepare the noodles and noodle sauce - Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl.
In a wide wok/pan, heat around 8 oz of water and bring it to a boil. Place the noodles carefully in the water. Once the noodles soften, hold them down under water until fully soften. Move them around a little to ensure none of them stick together. The noodles should be fully cooked in 5-6 minutes. Turn off the stove.
Now slowly drain all of the water and rinse the cooked noodles with cold water.Remove all water and add the noodles to the bowl with the sauce. Mix gently and make sure you coat the noodles well. Keep aside.
Stir Fry Vegetables - Add a tablespoon of sesame oil and stir fry the mushrooms first in the same wok and keep aside. Add the onions. Stir fry for a minute or two. Then add the bell pepper and cook for another couple of minutes before adding the carrot matchsticks. Season with some soy sauce. Cook for a minute.
Bringing it together - Now add the prepped noodles to the wok. Mix in the shiitake mushrooms, spinach and tofu. Add some more soy sauce and sesame oil if required and mix well. Top with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
FAQ
Use seitan or tempeh instead of tofu. You can also omit any additional protein and it would still be filling.
I believe japchae is traditionally made from sweet potato noodles. This is a sort of slippery and chewy noodles that looks like glass when cooked. You can of course make it with any other noodles but it wouldn't technically be japchae.
Yes,you can serve japchae either hot or cold. It is delicious either way!
Other delicious dishes to try - Black Garlic Noodles, Thai Basil Fried Rice, Mushroom and Lotus Root Sticky Rice, Veg Manchow Soup, Crispy Chili Baby Corn, Vegan Egg Roll in a Bowl
I hope you gave this vegan japchae a try! If you do, please let me know what you thought of it. Leave a comment/feedback below. You can also follow along on social media at Facebook or Pinterest.
Recipe
Vegan Japchae
Equipment
- 1 Large Wok
Ingredients
- 16 oz Sweet Potato Noodles /Glass Noodles
- 10 oz Water
- 1 Red/Yellow Bell Pepper cleaned and cut in to thin strips
- 2 medium Carrots cleaned and cut in to match sticks
- 1 medium Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup Shiitake Mushrooms
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1 stalk Green Onions sliced
- 16 oz Firm or Extra Firm Tofu drained and cut in to cubes
- 1 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
Noodles Sauce
- ¼ +¼ cup Soy Sauce replace with tamari to make it gluten-free
- 2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- 4 cloves Garlic finely chopped or grated
Marinade for tofu
- 4 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and keep side in cold water. In a bowl, add the ingredients for marinading tofu and mix well. Add the tofu pieces to this bowl and mix gently to coat it with the marinade. Let this sit for 15 minutes.
- In another large bowl, add the ingredients for the noodle sauce. Mix well and keep side. Heat a large wok with water needed to cook the noodles. Bring to a gentle boil and add the noodles. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until almost cooked.
- Drain the water and rinse the noodles in some cold water. Drain all water and place the noodles in the large bowl with the noodle sauce. Mix the noodles gently ensuring all of it coated with the sauce. Keep aside.
- Place the marinated tofu in the air fryer and air fry at 400 deg F for 18 minutes, flipping it at 9-10 minute mark. Remove and keep side.
- Discard the water in the wok and heat it again. Add a tablespoon of sesame oil and cook the mushrooms in the oil. Season with a spoon of soy sauce. Remove and keep aside. Now add the onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped garlic, bell pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally add the carrots and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the remaining soy sauce, some black pepper and a tablespoon of sesame oil if needed. Mix well.
- Now add back the noodles, along with the any remaining sauce at the bottom of the bowl and mix well until everything is well combined. Remove the spinach and squeeze out any extra water and add to the noodles. You can either add in the tofu to mix or serve on the side. Top with sesame seeds and green onions before serving hot or cold.
Notes
- To keep the dish completely gluten-free, use tamari in place of soy sauce.
- To bake the tofu in an oven instead of air fryer, place the marinated tofu in the oven at 400 deg F for 20-22 minutes. Make sure to flip the tofu pieces sort of at the mid point to ensure all the sides are browned well.
- Make sure the noodles are coated well with the sauce before putting aside. The sesame oil will help the noodles from drying our and sticking together.
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