Beef Japchae

Put the beef in a bowl with 1 Tbs. of the sesame oil, 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce, 1 Tbs. of the brown sugar and 1 Tbs. of the minced garlic. Stir until the meat is evenly coated. Set aside.

Put the shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl and pour in enough hot water to cover. Set aside to soften for 25 minutes. Remove the softened mushrooms from the liquid, thinly slice and set aside.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the sesame oil. When the oil glides along the pan, add 2 Tbs. of the garlic, the mushrooms, shishito peppers, carrots, onions and bell peppers and cook until slightly softened but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Add another 2 Tbs. of the soy sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Set aside the fry pan for cooking the beef.

Prepare a bowl of ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, add the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to the ice water. Drain the spinach and squeeze with your hands to remove the excess liquid. Roughly chop and set aside.

To the same pan of boiling water, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Add 2 Tbs. of the sesame oil to the noodles and toss so the noodles are well coated and do not stick together. Leave the noodles in the strainer and set aside.

Place the reserved fry pan over medium-high heat and cook the beef with the marinade, stirring occasionally, until brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Combine the noodles, vegetables and beef in a large bowl. Add the remaining 7 Tbs. sesame oil, the remaining 7 Tbs. soy sauce, the remaining 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) brown sugar, the remaining garlic, the mirin, fish sauce, rice vinegar and black pepper. Toss together until all the ingredients are combined.

Transfer to a large serving bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe courtesy of Esther Choi