Which noodles do you use for japchae?

Japchae uses dangmyeon — Korean glass noodles made from sweet potato starch.
They are not the same as the mung bean “glass noodles” usually sold in European
supermarkets.

This is the single most common mistake when people cook japchae at home in Germany.
Mung bean cellophane noodles look almost identical in the packet, but they are thinner and
far more fragile. They break apart when you stir-fry them and turn soft instead of chewy.
Sweet potato dangmyeon is thicker and springy, so it survives the pan and holds the sauce.

Dangmyeon vs. mung bean glass noodles

Dangmyeon (당면) Mung bean glass noodles
Made from Sweet potato starch Mung bean starch
Thickness Thicker, noticeably springy Thin, hair-like
When stir-fried Stays chewy, absorbs the sauce Breaks up, goes soft
Colour when cooked Grey-brown, translucent Almost clear
Used for Japchae, budae jjigae, gimmari Soups, spring roll fillings, salads

If a packet says Glasnudeln without naming the starch, check the ingredients.
For japchae you want sweet potato starch (Süßkartoffelstärke).

Which dangmyeon we stock

Product Size Good for
Nongshim Taekyung Dangmyeon Standard pack The default choice for japchae
Kasetbrand Dangmyeon 80 g Small pack — trying it for the first time
Nongshim Taekyung Flat Glass Noodles 1000 g Flat cut, bulk — cooking for a group
Greenfood Potato Glass Noodles 200 g Potato starch — softer, also used in soups

Three things Korean cooks do that recipes often leave out

Rinse the noodles in cold water after boiling. Cooking time is on the
packet — follow it, because it differs by brand and thickness. What the packet usually does
not say is that you should rinse the drained noodles under cold water straight away. This
stops the cooking and washes off surface starch, which is what makes them stick together
later.

Toss them in sesame oil before anything else. While the noodles are
still warm, mix them with a spoon of sesame oil. Dangmyeon clumps into a solid block as it
cools, and once it does, no amount of stirring separates it again.

Cut them. Dangmyeon is long. Korean home cooks routinely take kitchen
scissors to the drained noodles so the finished dish can be eaten with chopsticks without
a two-metre strand following the bite. This is normal, not a shortcut.

Japchae is not served piping hot

In Korea japchae is usually eaten warm or at room temperature, often as one dish among
several on the table rather than as a hot main course. It is also common at parties and
holidays precisely because it is still good an hour after it was made. If you have had it
in a restaurant and wondered why it was not steaming, that was not a mistake.

Beyond the noodles, japchae needs soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar for the seasoning.
Browse sauces and pastes for soy sauce and sesame
oil, or noodles for the full range.

Prefer not to assemble it yourself? We also stock
Ottogi Japchae Mandu —
dumplings filled with japchae — and
Surasang Japchae Gimmari,
seaweed rolls with a japchae filling.