This recipe is inspired by japchae, a Korean dish. That dish normally calls for special sweet potato noodles, but this dish uses glass noodles (also known as vermicelli or mung bean noodles).
This dish is pretty easy to prepare with a bare fridge - most of my ingredients were frozen, canned or dried. Yeah...
As with many of my other recipes, this is pretty easy and low-maintenance ('cause that's how I roll). I could happily have used more corn, green beans, and maybe some spinach and mushrooms (sadly, I had neither of the latter two ingredients). It's nice and colourful (somehow makes it look more virtuous)and savoury. Yum.
I don't specify the amount of seasonings because I tend to just throw things in and taste, then adjust as necessary.
This will make enough to serve 2 people.
Ingredients:
- 1 bag (200g) of frozen mixed vegetables - mine was a mix of carrots, cauliflower and broccoli
- 1 x 125g can of corn, drained
- 1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 150g green beans, trimmed and cut into 1.5cm lengths
- 150g dried vermicelli (glass/mung bean noodles)
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic (or 1/2 tbsp garlic paste)
- 250g of minced beef
- Sesame oil
- Sugar
- Light soya sauce
- Dark soya sauce
- White pepper
- Boiling water
- Microwave the frozen vegetables according to packet directions, and set aside. Soak the noodles in boiling water and set aside for 5 minutes or until tender (keep checking). When ready, drain and return to bowl.
- While this is happening, heat 1/2 tsp of sesame oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Stir fry for 2 minutes then add the beef. Pour in a generous splash of light soya sauce, a few shakes of pepper, 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil, 1/2 tsp of sugar and about 5 drops of dark soy sauce. Stir and break up the beef until fully cooked.
- Add the green beans and fry for a minute, then add the rest of the vegetables, some soy sauce, sesame oil and 1/4 tsp sugar. Add 5 shakes of pepper, and stir to combine. Simmer for a few minutes or until green beans are just cooked.
- Add the drained noodles and stir to combine. Taste, and season with more soy sauce/sugar/white pepper/sesame oil as necessary.
Jump in and munch!
