Steps

1. Soak Glass Noodles (Sweet Potato Starch Noodles) 100g in water until tender. This is key! Thorough soaking allows the noodles to absorb flavor better.
   🕒 01:23
2. Thinly slice 1/2 Onion.
   🕒 03:12
3. Peel and diagonally slice Small Carrot 1, then julienne.
   🕒 03:22
4. Remove seeds and core from Red Bell Pepper 1/4 and julienne.
   🕒 03:55
5. Trim the root ends of Spinach 1-2 bunches, wash, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
   🕒 04:18
6. Trim the root of Enoki Mushrooms 1/2 bag and separate them with your hands. This is key! Keep the enoki mushrooms long so they can be easily mixed throughout the dish.
   🕒 04:34
7. In a bowl, combine [A] Water 1 cup, [A] Soy Sauce 3.5 tbsp, [A] Sugar 2 tbsp, [A] Cooking Sake (Rice Wine) 2 tbsp, [A] Minced Garlic 1 clove, [A] Grated Ginger 1 clove, and [A] Sesame Oil 1 tbsp. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved. This is key! This sauce will infuse the noodles with flavor.
   🕒 05:03
8. Heat Sesame Oil 1-2 tbsp in a frying pan over medium heat and stir-fry Thinly Sliced Pork Shoulder 100g.
   🕒 06:06
9. Once the pork changes color, add the sliced Red Bell Pepper, Onion, and Carrot and stir-fry. This is key! Stir-fry to let the vegetables absorb the pork's flavor, cooking until the vegetables are softened.
   🕒 06:38
10. Add the separated Enoki Mushrooms and Spinach and stir-fry until the spinach wilts. This is key! They will continue to cook from residual heat, so avoid overcooking.
    🕒 07:44
11. Season the stir-fried meat and vegetables with Salt to taste and Coarse Black Pepper to taste, then mix everything together. This is key! Seasoning with salt instead of soy sauce at this stage helps maintain the vegetables' vibrant colors.
    🕒 08:19
12. Temporarily remove the stir-fried meat and vegetables from the frying pan.
    🕒 08:40
13. In the same frying pan, pour in the prepared [A] Sauce, which still retains the flavors of the meat and vegetables, and bring to a boil.
    🕒 08:46
14. Add the drained Glass Noodles (Sweet Potato Starch Noodles) to the boiling sauce and simmer until they absorb the sauce. This is key! The most crucial point for great Japchae is allowing the noodles to absorb all the flavors. Simmer until the noodles become chewy and a dark brown color. Cook until the noodles are deeply colored.
    🕒 09:12
15. Once the noodles have fully absorbed the sauce and are a deep brown color, turn off the heat.
    🕒 10:35
16. Return the reserved meat and vegetables to the pan with the heat turned off. Gently toss everything together to combine with the noodles. This is key! Japchae is more of a tossed dish than a stir-fry, so mix after turning off the heat.
    🕒 10:43
17. Taste and adjust seasoning with Salt if necessary.
    🕒 11:17
18. Plate the Japchae and sprinkle generously with White Sesame Seeds (toasted) as needed and Coarse Black Pepper. Enjoy!
    🕒 11:21