Grandma's Japchae (Korean Mixed Vermicelli)

mina kim's Note:

everyone raves over the japchae that my grandma makes for potlucks and parties. when i moved to denmark, she finally shared the recipe with me. it's a great spring picnic dish, just reheat a little bit before serving... although it's great cold as well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 10

• 24 ounces sweet potato starch vermicelli
• 3 bunches spinach
• 1 (8 ounce) bag carrots , julienned
• 2 onions , julienned
• 1 (8 ounce) carton button mushrooms , sliced and stems left on
• 6 shiitake mushrooms , sliced
• ½ red bell pepper , julienned
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• sesame oil (to taste)

Directions:

1. cut off the spinach root and wash. blanch it for approximately 15 to 30 seconds. be sure not to leave it boiling longer or else the taste will change. when it cools, grab a handful of spinach and squeeze the water out. unroll the ball of spinach and cut into 1-inch lengths. set aside.
2. saute button mushrooms with vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon of salt until tender. drain the juice and set the mushrooms aside.
3. saute shiitake mushrooms in pan with vegetable oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt. drain the juice and set the shiitakes aside.
4. saute onions and carrots separately just like the button mushrooms with and set aside when finished. .
5. add the potato starch noodles to a pot of boiling water and let it cook for approximately 5 minutes. check if noodle is chewy, not rubbery. drain and rinse in cold water. slice noodles into an appropriate length since they are usually sold long.
6. saute noodles with vegetable oil & ½ teaspoon of salt until water evaporates from the noodles.
7. put noodles into the bowl with all the cooked ingredients. add the soy sauce, sugar, and sesame seeds. mix all together and season to taste.
8. you can sprinkle more sesame seeds as garnish. serve immediately or refrigerate.