Sheet-Pan Japchae

Sheet-Pan Japchae

Though readily available at restaurants today, japchae — the royal Korean stir-fried glass noodle dish — is traditionally a banquet affair, eaten just a few times a year at holidays and special occasions because the labor to produce it is so high. Each vegetable, among a rainbowed array, is ordinarily stir-fried individually, but in this variation, all of the vegetables roast together on the same sheet pan in color-blocked sections for ease and deliciousness. The roasted vegetables caramelize with less effort, and then need only to be tossed with the noodles and sauce, making japchae a dish within reach for any night of the week. The spinach, mushrooms and bell pepper recall key flavors of typical japchae, but you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Frozen spinach might not be a conventional ingredient, but it roasts beautifully and ends up tasting almost like umami-rich kale chips or roasted seaweed. You can add a drop of toasted sesame oil, if you’d like, but the toasted sesame seeds here lend enough of that quintessential aromatic nuttiness that makes japchae taste so regal.

Yield: 4 servings

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce, plus more to taste

1 packed tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for serving

6 ounces dangmyeon (sweet potato noodles; see Tip)

Position a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees.

On a large sheet pan, arrange the spinach, mushrooms and bell pepper in three separate sections. Generously drizzle all with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Roast until charred in spots, gently stirring the vegetable sections one by one and rotating the pan halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, maple syrup and sesame seeds and set aside.

When the vegetables are almost done roasting, add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions, then drain and add directly to the sheet pan with the roasted vegetables. Using kitchen shears, cut the noodles once or twice directly on the sheet pan for easier handling.

Pour the sauce over and toss until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, soy sauce and sesame seeds if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip: Dangmyeon (pronounced DAHNG-myun) are wonderfully bouncy, chewy, translucent noodles made from sweet potato starch. Available online and in any Korean grocery store, they come in large plastic bags, as the dried noodles are long and stiff until they’re cooked. Often labeled as glass noodles or Korean vermicelli, starchy dangmyeon become slack, slippery and beautifully shiny once boiled.

*This was great. Made (almost) to the recipe. Added a pile of slivered carrots to the sheet pan and sprinkled all with sesame seeds for the last 5 minutes. I also added 1 tsp of sesame oil to the sauce. I tossed everything together in the pot where I had cooked the noodles, which seemed easier than doing all on the sheet pan. Served with chili crisp and a fried egg on top. Delicious and easy.

*A great easy way to make Japchae. The only thing I changed is the oil. Using olive oil doesn't work that well with asian cooking as the flavour stands out too much. Use canola, vegetable or any other neutral oil. I'm not sure why the NYTimes recos olive oil in asian food. Yes, you can taste the difference.