This vegan japchae is a super simple version of my favorite classic Korean dish! It’s made with just a few healthy ingredients, and full of incredible flavor.
Happy Friday, friends! Today I have the rare savory dish for you, and this one is a freaking GEM. I know, you’re probably like, how the hell do you say that?! And the noodles look weird, but just trust me, you need to try this. Japchae is a super popular Korean dish. It’s a mix of glass noodle and stir fried vegetables, all tossed in a slightly sweet and savory sauce.
My grandma was from South Korea, and japchae was my absolute favorite thing she made. Asian food is 100% my favorite type of savory food, and it’s such a plus that most dishes are super easy to vegan-ize.
My mom and I decided to give this vegan japchae recipe a try when she came to visit a couple weeks back, and it was such a success. First of all, it tastes SO damn good. Second, I haven’t had japchae since we lost my grandma, and eating it brought back a flood of amazing memories. She was such a selfless, powerful, sassy little lady, and I like to think I got my little bit of sass and determination from her. Though I have to admit, I won’t EVER come close to her with the Asian food, cause homegirl could’ve been a legit chef, but at least I can now make a bomb vegan version of my favorite dish at home!
Ingredients for vegan japchae
- Sweet potato glass noodles: you can find these at most Asian grocery stores, they’re SO unique and have the best texture! They’re made from the starch of sweet potatoes.
- Broccoli: I use frozen to make it really simple, but fresh is great too.
- Shiitake mushrooms: mushrooms give the japchae nice chewy texture. My grandma always added mushrooms, so I do, too.
- Red onion: red onion adds a little bite and extra flavor.
- Liquid aminos: liquid aminos is the base of the sauce, it’s a great salty replacement for soy sauce.
- Water: water thins out the sauce.
- Chili paste: some chili paste adds heat and flavor to the sauce.
- Stevia: stevia balances out the flavor of the sauce with a bit of natural sweetness.
Tips for making vegan japchae
- Use a bit of water to sauté the veggies. I don’t use oil in my cooking, so I recommend sautéing in a bit of water or veggie stock to keep the veggies from sticking. Add it little by little as needed to avoid anything burning.
Eating this vegan japchae totally took me back to hanging out with my sweet little grandma, watching her mix the noodles with all the add ins, and make the sauce without measuring whatsoever, all by taste. And of course, it came out perfectly every time she did it.
Xo,
Sara
Vegan Japchae
Ingredients
Noodles
- 5 oz sweet potato glass noodles
- 2 cups frozen broccoli
- 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup red onion, sliced
Sauce
- 2 tbsp liquid aminos
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sambal oelek chili garlic sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp stevia
Instructions
- Cook the glass noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside in a large bowl.
- Sauté the vegetables until tender, I use a little bit of water so they don't stick to the pan or burn, then add to the bowl with the noodles.
- To make the sauce, mix the liquid aminos, water, chili garlic sauce, and stevia.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles and vegetables and toss so that everything is coated and thoroughly combined.
