Hubby met up with his ex-colleague after work, so dinner tonight was just me and my LO. Bought some kimchi mandu (dumplings) from Village Grocer 2 days ago and I thought of cooking them tonight, but I had to make something non-spicy for LO too. Then I remembered I had some glass noodles left, so I started digging to see what other ingredients have I got in the fridge and YES, they were enough for me to whip up some Japchae to go with the dumplings. Japchae, or Korean glass noodles, is a very flavorful and nutritious dish that can be served as a main meal, snack or appetizer. The glass noodles ("Dangmyeon") used are made from sweet potatoes. They have a unique and pleasant texture, and don't feel heavy like flour-based noodles. I didn't have the Korean ones, so just had to make do with the normal ones that I have at home :P LO doesn't eat bell peppers/capsicum, so I've omitted them and I didn't have spinach, so I used boy choy instead. Mine is a meatless version. The noodles are flavorful, so you won't miss the meat anyway. Hehe.

It's nutty, sweet and savory - Yumz!

It's easy to whip up too - all done in one wok. Minimal fuss!

Ingredients:

Simple ingredients with lotsa veggie goodness :D

• 200g glass noodles, soaked
• 1/2 a carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 a yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 fresh shiitake mushroom, thinly sliced
• 2-3 bunch of baby bok choy, chopped
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Oil, for stir-frying
• Roasted sesame seeds, for garnishing/topping

Sauce:

• 2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp water (Note: I replaced 1 tbsp of light soya sauce with water so it won't be too salty for my LO) 

1. Cook the glass noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain well, add sesame oil and toss. Set aside. 
2. Put all ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and stir til the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
3. In a wok, heat oil. Sauté minced garlic and onion til onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and carrots, and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes til they are slightly tender.
4. Add noodles and bok choy, and stir-fry for a while. Add sauce and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Garnish or top with some roasted sesame seeds and serve.