Extra Easy Vegetarian Jap Chae (잡채) Recipe

Once upon a time, I began watching Korean dramas. When I look back on it, I don't even know how I even became obsessed with watching absurdly impossible story lines of K-Dramas. I lived, breathed, ate, woke up to, and fell asleep with K-Dramas 24/7 whenever I wasn't working or at school. Story short, I'm obsessed.

So over the course of 6 years, I've become enamored by Korean culture, and of course food. One of the most popular Korean dishes available is Jap Chae (잡채). So try this recipe and you won't be disappointed.

Pretty much anyone who can boil water can make this dish.

Easy peasy.

Side note. I still LOVE watching K-Dramas. Secret indulgence confessed.

All ingredients are interchangeable. Feel free to go crazy and throw your favorite veggies and meat. This recipe is for my vegans out there. No egg. No fish sauce. Nada.


Ingredients (Serves 3-4)

• 4 oz uncooked Korean sweet potato starch vermicelli noodles 
• 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
• half of one onion, sliced
• handful of spinach or Chinese broccoli 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
•  3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sugar

Directions - Have a large pot of boiling water ready for blanching.

1. Once water begins to boil, drop in carrots. After 2-3 minutes, remove and set inside a large bowl.

2. Using the same pot of hot water, lets blanch (pre-cook) the greens. Remove, drain, set inside a large bowl.

3. Drop in starch noodles. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Remove, drain, set inside a large bowl. 

4. Using a non-stick pan, quickly stir fry onion and mushrooms. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant.

5. Remove from heat, and mix soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in the large bowl. 

6. Mix all ingredients together until well absorbed. 

Taste.

Season with black pepper.

Enjoy!

Tips for a tastier jap chae 잡채. This is my personal favorite sesame oil. It has a wonderful aroma, and I don't need to use a lot of it to get the flavor profile. I also enjoy fresh shiitake mushrooms over dried. When cooked, the texture is much more bouncier and flavorful. Most chap jae includes beef and/or thinly sliced cooked egg. I chose to omit that today as I had gal-bi and sam gyup sal with my meal. 

All About Eggrolls.

Since I was a sophomore in high school, one of the ways I made extra money -- was eggrolls. Homemade, from scratch, eggrolls. It blossomed into a monthly thing until I finished my associates degree. It made good money. And I was good at it. So every time I go back to my hometown, I have my little brother gather up all of his friends, family, coworkers, teachers, etc to buy my eggrolls.

It became so successful, my parents have actually taken over and do smaller batches every weekend. Luckily, I wont be making 80 dozen eggrolls by myself over the weekend anymore. I'm glad my parents enjoy doing this just as much as I do. But anyways, I've decided to make my way into the business department and sell my eggrolls, commercially. Until then, here are some test pictures for my future website. 

So the question is....what is a spring roll? what is an eggroll?

Hacked. Starbucks Green Tea Latte Recipe

I love green tea. Love to the point of wanting to bathe in it. Was that a little too much info? Oh well. As a child growing up, I detested tea when my parents took us to eat dim sum on the weekends. This new onset fondness for tea must mean that I'm getting wiser. Or so that's what I tell myself. 

Annnnyways, this post is all about Starbucks Green Tea Latte which I shamefully adore. It's a bad habit. When I say bad habit, I mean bad for my wallet. We all know how expensive SB drinks are. I'm so, So, SO, S-O excited to share with you my recipe for the famous GTL that we all know and love. Guyzzzzzz. I think I finally HACKED IT! I suppose I could give you more info about the drink, but let's not waste time. Leggo!

But there is one basic that we MUST NOT skimp on. That is the main ingredient, green tea (aka matcha) powder. Just in case, I also left a video recipe. As you can see, my face is VERY happy that I made this drink.

Here's what you need for a 12 ounce cup of ICED latte:

1.5 Tsp Green Tea Powder + 2 Tbsp hot water

1 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar (or sweetener of your choice)

1 Cup Whole Milk 

2-5 drops of Vanilla Extract

 I've already experimented with a few different kinds of green tea powder, but Teavanna hits the palate pretty spot on. I'll have to add a disclaimer, not all brands are created equal. Depending on the type/brand of green tea, the intensity will need to be adjusted by the amount.

It doesn't matter what kind, but this drink needs a touch of vanilla. How much will depend on your taste buds. But since SB uses a 'mix,' this is my dupe on how to get the full bodied flavor. 

Sweetener. You can choose which one. But I wanted a more rounded taste profile to my GTL so I opted for light brown sugar. 

Milk. Also something you can switch up if you prefer. I've used almond milk in the past and it works just as well. 

That's it. Super simple isn't it? But just to amuse myself, I also took pics of the entire process down below. 

Mix hot water and green tea powder to dissolve clumps

Pour into cold (or steamed) milk of your choice

Add sweetener + vanilla to your taste.

Use your amazing bicep muscles & mix vigorously! Matcha doesn't dissolve easily. But it will be well worth it. And plus, you burned a few calories. You're welcome. Lastly, just pour and enjoy. Skip the ice if you are going to enjoy this cup of delicious-ness hot. 

Drink up! If you have any other tips or tricks to share, please do! 

Until next time muffins.