Containing onions, carrots, shitake mushrooms and noodles Japchae is a stir-fried Korean vegetable and noodle dish that is delectable hot, cold and everywhere in between. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

Containing onions, carrots, shitake mushrooms and noodles Japchae is a stir-fried Korean vegetable and noodle dish that is delectable hot, cold and everywhere in between. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)

On the strawberry patch: Noodles made with a loving hand

Japchae is a stir-fried Korean vegetable and noodle dish that is delectable hot, cold and everywhere in between

There is a Korean phrase that translates literally to “hand taste.” It is used to describe the special taste of food so delicious and comforting that someone must have made it with their loving hands, like a meal your mother would make for you.

One of my teachers at language school taught me that phrase at my first lunar new year celebration while she was teaching us how to fold dumplings. That day she also told me I was sure to have adorable babies because I made beautiful dumplings, and I like to think she was right. She used to mother me quite a bit and with every firm pat on the back or hot mug of barley tea to soothe my anxious stomach I could feel the love flowing from her hands.

One drizzly October morning she cried with me under the fluorescent lights in her office while her coffee brewed. I didn’t grow up with Korean food, but it is now my comfort food because of my wonderful teaching team, and especially her. Every time I make this dish, I think of her and the love she showed me that morning when she squeezed my hands in hers.

Japchae is a stir-fried Korean vegetable and noodle dish that is delectable hot, cold and everywhere in between, making it the queen of parties and potlucks. My version is also gluten free and vegan so it will be safe to eat even after a few hours on a picnic table.

I bought everything you need for this recipe at the Kenai Safeway.

Ingredients:

3 packages Korean sweet potato starch noodles (find them in the international aisle near the rice noodles)

1 white onion

1 large carrot

5 stalks green onion

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms (sometimes you can find them fresh, but if not, you can find bags of dehydrated ones in the same aisle as the noodles. Just soak them in warm water for 30 minutes and squeeze the water out before using. Use two bags for this recipe.)

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch fresh spinach (not baby spinach unless you must)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey (I know it’s not technically vegan so use an equal amount of agave or sugar if you prefer.)

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ tablespoon sesame seeds

Salt to taste

Directions:

Boil your noodles for 7 minutes or until soft and springy, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Strain and put into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle 1 tablespoon sesame oil over the noodles and toss to coat so they don’t stick together.

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute then cool under cold, running water. Squeeze the excess water out and toss into the oiled noodles.

Prep your vegetables by cutting them all into 2-inch-long, ¼-inch-thick strips, keeping everything separated.

Mix the soy sauce, garlic, honey, pepper, sesame seeds and remaining sesame oil together and set aside.

Saute the vegetables just until soft in a little vegetable oil, one ingredient at a time, in this order: onion, carrot, red bell pepper, mushrooms. Lightly salt each batch and make sure to wipe out the pan with a damp paper towel in between each ingredient. The order and the clean pan are important to keep all the colors and flavors bright.

Put all the ingredients into the large mixing bowl, drizzle the sauce over everything and get to mixing. It’s best to use your clean hands to do this so everything gets thoroughly mixed without being crushed. If you’re sharing with a group, I suggest wearing gloves.

Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if you wish.

This recipe makes enough to bring to a party so cut the recipe in half for a family serving.

Tressa Dale is a U.S. Navy veteran and culinary and pastry school graduate from Anchorage. She currently lives in Nikiski with her husband, 1-year-old son and two black cats.

More in Life

This Korean rice porridge, called dak juk, is easy to digest but hearty and nutritious, perfect for when you’re learning how to eat. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A comforting meal for new beginnings

Rice porridge is a common first solid meal for many, many babies around the world

file
Minister’s Message: The sound of God’s voice

In all my desperate prayers, I sometimes forget that God has spoken definitively already

Rivers and Ice by Susan Pope. (Promotional photo)
KPC Showcase to feature discussion with Alaska author Susan Pope

Pope will discuss her memoir “Rivers and Ice: A Woman’s Journey Toward Family and Forgiveness”

Promotional photo courtesy Sony Pictures
Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace and Celeste O’Connor appear in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.”
On the Screen: New ‘Ghostbusters’ struggles to balance original ideas and nostalgia

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” picks up right where “Afterlife” left off, and it also succumbs to a lot of the same problems

document from ancestry.com
William Raymond “W.R.” Benson’s draft-registration card from 1942 reveals that he was 52 years old, living in Seward and self-employed. His wife, Mable, is listed as a person who will always know his address.
Hometown Booster: The W.R. Benson Story — Part 2

W.R. Benson was a mover and a shaker throughout his life, but particularly so in Alaska

Terri Zopf-Schoessler and Donna Shirnberg rehearse “The Odd Couple: The Female Version” at the Kenai Performers’ Theater near Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Iconic, classic comedy’

Kenai Performers debuts “The Odd Couple: The Female Version”

Photo provided by Sara Hondel
Sara Hondel stands with a leprechaun during Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Soldotna on Sunday. Green, leprechauns and Nugget the Moose poured down the streets for the 34th annual parade hosted by the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce. Under cloudy skies — but fortunately no precipitation — a procession of viridescent celebrants representing businesses and organizations brought festivities to an array of attendees lining Redoubt Avenue.
Go green or go home

Soldotna turns out for St. Patrick’s Day parade

Eggplants, garlic, lemon juice and tahini make up this recipe for baba ghanouj. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
When making a good example is hard to swallow

Preparing baba ghanouj despite a dislike of eggplant

William Raymond “W.R.” Benson (front row, far right) poses along with the rest of the Sigma Nu fraternity at Albion College in Michigan in about 1908. Despite a lifetime spent in the public eye, Benson was apparently seldom captured on film. This image is one of the few photos of him known to exist. (photo from the 1908 Albion College yearbook via ancestry.com)
Hometown Booster: The W.R. Benson Story — Part 1

W.R. Benson was a man almost constantly in motion

Most Read