I’m almost halfway through my Korean visa, and I should make better use of that 5 years that they’ve given me. So here I am planning a mini Korean holiday that is getting me more excited by the minute.

I imagine chicken and beer or chimek, mageoli, kimbap, fresh kimchi, samgyeopsal, deep-fried mandu, haemul pajeon, bingsu… My mouth water at the thought of grilled Hanwoo beef that melts in the mouth and I remember our incredible meal in Hongdae. And then my mind wanders to the other food I have to yet to have. I promised to go back for— jjajangmyeon, samyetang, soy sauce crab, sundae (not the frozen dessert but Korea’s blood sausage that got my attention because of these twins) and much more that I’m still not aware of.

So now I crave Japchae. That’s a Korean-style noodle dish that is usually served as a side dish consisting of vermicelli noodles, meat, and assorted vegetables sautéed in soy sauce. This version is without meat, and even my meat-loving hubby gave his thumbs up.

Japchae (Korean Style Noodles)

Adapted from this recipe in Epicurious

What You Need:

• 5-6 ounces Korean vermicelli noodles
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. Sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 med onion sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick (1 ½ cups)
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1/8 inch thick matchsticks
• 1 ½ cup mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thick
• 1 ½ cup snow peas (recipe called for spinach but I didn’t have that)

What you do:

1. Soak noodles in a bowl of warm water to cover until softened, about 10 minutes, then drain in a colander. Cook noodles in a 3-4 quart pot of boiling water until tender, about 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.
2. Blend soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and garlic in a blender until smooth.
3. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke, then stir-fry onion and carrots until onion is softened. About 3 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until softened, about 3 minutes.
5. Add snow peas and stir-fry 30 seconds, then add noodles and soy sauce mixture and toss to coat.
6. Simmer, occasionally stirring, until most liquid is absorbed, 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature.